The sea bream (rice in Hondarribia) dates back to the 14th century on the Basque coast. At first, they were hand-hunted, using vertical nozzles filled with hooks. In the 19th century, fishermen began to use longlines formed by long lines of pita. Until then, the sea bream had been one of the most important fish species discharged in the Basque Country. In the 1950s, with the expansion of trawl fisheries, sea bream catches also increased for 20 years. But no more, because there wasn't. Currently, only one out of every 100 fish was fished in 1970. As for the last decade, the abundance of the sea bream has been reduced to a third.

The population of kisses in our fishing zone extends to: From the Cantabrian Sea, crossing the Gulf of Bizkaia, to Scotland. And there are two other populations that, to a lesser extent, have suffered a decline. On the one hand, the population of the southern Iberian Peninsula and, on the other, that of the Azores. Most of the ones we will find in our restaurants and in the Besugo de Orio, are probably fish from these two populations, and very little of our environment.

The process of recovering the sea bream has several challenges. On the one hand, all the kisses develop male and female skirts; all the little ones are males, and once they reach the measure of about 33 cm, at the age of 4-6 years, most become females, except a few who will keep males for the fertilization of the eggs. The specimens most appreciated by the fishermen and that can be collected legally are the largest (>36 cm in industrial fishing, >40 cm in recreational fishing), so most of those caught are female laying eggs. On the other hand, this breeding species in winter faces old Christmas customs, the most vulnerable time. And finally, the fish that live deep (adults live at depths of between 400 and 700 meters) have slow growth, being able to live between 10 and 20 years. And this suggests that even if the species is not weighed, it will take quite a few years to recover it, at least until several generations take the minimum measure to turn it into a female.

The biggest consumers of the sea bream are those of the Iberian Peninsula. Perhaps by history and custom. However, if you catch this species, which may be the best alternative to being declared a cultural heritage, in recreational fishing, please note that you can fish a large and unique copy per year. So, freeze well for Christmas, and among other things, taste the rivets, lamotes, lentils or birlots. They're all similar, small. But let's give the sea bream its chance, so that the marshes are kissed. Be it this decade (at least) and, if you play well, it will come eternally to our (itsas-h).