Curled picarel

The curled picarel is native to our waters and spawns during summer months. It can exceed 25 centimeters in length, although most fish caught in our waters are smaller than 20 centimeters. It is caught using bottom trawling and static nets.
It typically forms schools above hard substrates or gravelly areas at depths of up to 400 meters and most likely feeds on zooplankton.

Bottom trawling is one of the most harmful ways to fish in our seas, as it drags heavy gear across the seabed, damaging all kinds of habitats, killing benthic life and leading to high catches of non-targeted species. In the southern part of Cyprus there is a restriction for trawling during the 16th of February and the 31st of May, and in the northern part bottom trawling is altogether banned.

It is recommended to ask your fisher or fishmonger where the fish was caught and with which fishing method, as well as buying this species outside of its spawning period. Prefer locally harvested seafood products by coastal small-scale fisheries.