Roman Seabream

Photo: Lara · CC BY-NC

The Roman seabream is one of the most commercially important reef fish in South African waters and one of the most charismatic species at Coral Gardens, where large adults patrol the reef in small groups. This species is a sequential hermaphrodite, beginning life as female and transitioning to male with age, and the large, dominant males with their characteristic hump and vivid colouring are a reliable sight in the deeper sections of the site. Coral Gardens is a critical aggregation area for this species, and its productivity here is a strong indicator of the overall health of the False Bay reef system.