Bogue - Boops boops
Boops boops commonly called the bogue, is a species of seabream native to the eastern Atlantic. Its common name in most languages refers to its large (“bug”) eyes. The species is found off the coasts of Europe, Africa, the Azores and the Canary Islands, from Norway to Angola, and in the Mediterranean and Black Seas. It avoids brackish waters such as the Baltic Sea. A demeral and semi-pelagic, it can generally be found at a depth of 100 m, and infrequently down to 350 m. boga
The Bogue reaches a maximum length of 30 cm. and a weight that can reach half a kilogram. Its color ranges from silvery green on the back to white on the belly. The fins have the same color as the back except the ventral ones which are white. On the side it has a dark lateral line under which we find four or five lateral lines of a beautiful golden color. Often it approaches the coast in herds on rocky and sandy bottoms rich in vegetation where it is possible to meet it a few meters deep as in the video we present to you. It feeds on vegetables, plankton and small crustaceans.
It consumes seaweed, crustaceans, and some plankton, in schools that rise to the surface at night. Individuals can reach 36 cm, but average 20 cm. Sex determination in the bogue is unclear. It has variously been described as a rudimentary intersex organism, with a few intersex individuals, or a protogynous intersex, with individuals starting out life as females, and some becoming male later on.
The species is commercially fished, with 37,830 tonnes taken in 2008. It is marketed in sizes from Small (1/2, 2/3), Medium (2/4, 3/5, 4/6), Large (4/8, 4/7, 5/7, 5/8). Sizes are not standardized, but the mentioned sizes are often used in commercial transactions. When cleaned and pan fried, broiled or baked fresh, they are good tasting, but when stored their gut flora soon spread unpleasant flavors to their flesh. Much of the catch is used for fishmeal or tuna fishing bait.
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