Bronze bream, also known as copper bream or bluefish, is a common inshore species found along the east coast of South Africa.
They are omnivorous and graze on algae and small invertebrates. They have a particularly long gut to aid in the digestion of the tough seaweeds. Interestingly, research has shown that these fish are really eating the seaweed in order to get at the tiny animals living in amongst the fronds of the seaweed (called epiphytes). Bronze bream are particularly slow growing and only reach maturity at an age of 5-6 years and a length of 30cm. They reach an incredible maximum age of over 38 years! Because of their slow growth rate, bronze bream are very susceptible to overexploitation.
The current bag limit is 2pppd and the minimum size limit is 30cm total length. The ORI Fish App https://www.saambr.org.za/marine-fish-guide-for-southern…/ has more information about this and many other linefish caught in South Africa.
To find out more about bronze bream, click the link which will take you to the downloadable fact sheet on our website. http://www.saambr.org.za/…/ORI-Fish-Fact-Sheet-Bronze…
