Norwegian record European seabass: 6.6 kg

About European seabass

The European seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax) has gone from rare visitor to prized sport fish on Norway's south coast. It looks like a perch or zander but is slimmer, silvery grey with a darker, often bluish back, and has two separate dorsal fins, the first carrying strong spines. Seabass range from North Africa and the Mediterranean to the British Isles and southern Norway. In Norway they are regularly seen north to Lofoten, with scattered records up to Finnmark, especially since a strong 1999 year class. Seabass stay in shallow water, often 0 to 20 m near rocky shores and river mouths, and move deeper in winter. They hunt crustaceans, worms and small fish such as herring and sprat. Typical fish are about 50 cm, but they can reach about 1 m and 9 to 12 kg. Plugs, surface lures, soft baits and flies work well, especially in summer and autumn. Norwegian Red List 2021: Least Concern (LC); IUCN: Near Threatened (NT).

Sources: Artsdatabanken, Store norske leksikon, Wikipedia

• Habitat: Saltvann
• Best month: Juli
• Red list status: LC (2021)

See the species guide

Biggest European seabass in FishComp

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How to register a Norwegian record

1. Norwegian sport-fishing records are registered with Villmarksliv, not with FishComp. Read the rules before you do anything else with the fish.
2. Records are based on weight and approved by a jury. You give the weight and length, where it was caught, the gear you used and any witnesses.
3. Keep your photos and notes from the catch. Logging it in FishComp does not register a record.