Black Bream are silver, bronze to blackish green, with a white chin and belly. The fins are greenish black with darker edges.

Bream are found in the estuaries and lower reaches of the rivers along the Sapphire Coast.  They have the ability to cope with a wide range of salinity levels, and may sometimes be found in totally fresh water.

Black Bream are predatory and opportunistic feeders, consuming both plant and animal species like small crabs, prawns, assorted bait fish and shellfish such as oysters.

Look for Bream around snags full of barnacles and along the edges of oyster leases, natural snaggy areas, like rocky edges, the edges of fallen trees, jetties and piers.

Cast your bait, lures or plastics right up against these areas as this is where the big Bream live and be prepared to loose plenty of gear as these fish are feisty fighters and head straight for the snaggy areas once hooked.

Care needs to be exercised when handling Black Bream as they are armed with very sharp gills as well as nasty dorsal and anal spines capable of inflicting a deep wound.

Black Bream have a very slow growth rate as the table below clearly shows.

The size limit in NSW is 26cm and these fish are 9 years old.   

A highly regarded sports fish, most local anglers practice catch and release.