Hi ,
Aye, it's a Rays Bream . They are not a deep water species but a pelagic warm water (semi - tropical )one. We used to get lots of them handed into the Marine Lab from Nov to Feb each year. They get caught in the warm water gyres coming out of the Med and become entrained in the North Atlantic Drift up the west coast and find themselves in the cold North sea . Also probably up the south east coast and into the North Sea that way too in the North Sea countercirculation.
The warm water gyre eventually loses it's battle trying to heat the North Sea and the water temperature surrounding the fish eventually drops making the fish torpid , as all fish all poikilothermic (! -
).
There are always quite a few washed ashore because of this each year.
Like all sea bream they are very nice to eat , providing it's fresh enough . Of interest is the fact that many of them have a large worm parasite in them which the Spanish regard as a great delicacy. MMMM .
Pass on that I think .
Paul.
