Turkish Sea Bass and Sea Bream Size Grades for Export Buyers

Grade tables for whole round Turkish sea bass and sea bream, fish per 10 kg box, chilled and frozen forms, IQF and glaze, cartons and what to write in an RFQ.

Turkish sea bass and sea bream size grades at a glance

Turkish sea bass and sea bream size grades are written in grams per piece, whole round, before gutting. The export bands used by Turkish farms for both species are 200-300 g, 300-400 g, 400-600 g, 600-800 g, 800-1000 g and 1000 g plus. Fillets have their own bands, 100-120 g, 120-140 g and 140-180 g per fillet. Gutted fish and fillets are quoted separately from whole round, because the yield loss changes the price per kilo and the count per box. Turkish sea bass is Dicentrarchus labrax and Turkish sea bream is Sparus aurata; both are farmed.

This guide is written for importers in the UAE and the wider Gulf who read Turkish offers every week and want the grade tables, the chilled and frozen forms, the packing and the RFQ wording in one place. It complements our market page for Turkish sea bass and sea bream in the UAE and the buyer's guide to Turkish aquaculture, which covers certificate scope and plant approval.

How Turkish farms grade sea bass and sea bream

Both species are raised in offshore cages on Turkey's Aegean and Mediterranean coast and harvested every month of the year. At harvest the fish are chilled in slurry ice and passed over a grading line that sorts them by weight into the bands above. A band such as 400-600 g means every fish in the box weighs between 400 and 600 grams whole round, and the box is labelled with that band, not with an average weight.

Three points matter when you read a grade. First, the band is always whole round unless the offer says otherwise; a gutted fish has lost part of its weight and is graded and priced on its own line. Second, farms work to a small tolerance at the edges of a band, so ask for the tolerance in writing if your customers weigh fish at the counter. Third, the same bands are used for chilled and frozen fish, so a frozen offer at 300-400 g is the same fish as a chilled offer at 300-400 g; only the form, the packing and the shelf life differ.

Turkish sea bass size grades, whole round

The table below lists the export grades for whole round Turkish sea bass, the approximate number of fish in a 10 kg net box, and the buyer who usually asks for each band. Counts are simple arithmetic from the band limits and will vary with the actual weight distribution in the box.

Columns: grade in grams per piece | approximate fish per 10 kg box | who usually buys it

• 200-300 g | 33 to 50 fish | small plate portions, retail trays, some catering programmes
• 300-400 g | 25 to 33 fish | the single plate whole fish most restaurants and hotel outlets ask for
• 400-600 g | 16 to 25 fish | generous plate portion, fish counters, grill houses; the other high volume band
• 600-800 g | 12 to 16 fish | sharing plates, salt baked presentations, in house filleting
• 800-1000 g | 10 to 12 fish | banquet and carving, filleting into two large portions
• 1000 g plus | fewer than 10 fish | large format and specialty menus; availability confirmed per order

The 300-400 g and 400-600 g bands carry most of the export volume because they match one fish per plate. Larger bands spend longer in the cage, so their availability and price per kilo follow a different curve. Treat 800 g and above as a line to confirm per order rather than a stock item, and state on the RFQ whether you would accept the neighbouring band if the one you want is short.

Turkish sea bream size grades, whole round

Sea bream uses the same gram bands as sea bass, but the fish is deeper bodied, so a bream of a given weight looks larger on the plate than a bass of the same grade. That is why some Gulf buyers take bream one band lighter than the bass they buy for the same menu slot. The table follows the same columns as above.

Columns: grade in grams per piece | approximate fish per 10 kg box | who usually buys it

• 200-300 g | 33 to 50 fish | retail trays, small portion menus, some airline and institutional catering
• 300-400 g | 25 to 33 fish | single plate whole bream, the most requested band for grilled presentations
• 400-600 g | 16 to 25 fish | plate portion with head on, fish counters, hotel buffets
• 600-800 g | 12 to 16 fish | sharing plates, whole baked bream, in house filleting
• 800-1000 g | 10 to 12 fish | carving and banquet service, two large portions per fish
• 1000 g plus | fewer than 10 fish | specialty and large format; availability confirmed per order

If you buy both species for one outlet, order them as separate lines with their own grades rather than asking for a mixed box; boxes are packed by species and grade, and mixed containers are assembled at the box level, not inside the box.

Gutted fish and fillets are quoted separately

A gutted sea bass or sea bream is graded on the same gram bands, but the offer will say gutted, and the price is not comparable with whole round at the same band. Gutting removes the viscera and the fish loses a share of its weight, so a box of gutted 400-600 g fish started life as heavier whole fish. Ask for whole round and gutted as two lines on the same offer if you buy both; never convert one into the other yourself.

Fillets are a third product with their own bands, 100-120 g, 120-140 g and 140-180 g per boneless fillet. They are sold by fillet weight, not by the weight of the fish they came from, and for export they are usually offered frozen; chilled fillets are confirmed per order. A restaurant that portions fish in its own kitchen usually buys whole or gutted fish in the 600-800 g band and above; one without a filleting station buys fillets.

Chilled or frozen: bulk, IQF, IWP and glazing

Chilled fish is never frozen. It is packed in ice in styrofoam boxes and moves by air, so it arrives as a fresh counter product with the short shelf life stated on the producer spec sheet. Frozen fish moves by reefer container in cartons and is offered in three packing styles.

• Bulk, also called block or layer packed: fish frozen in layers inside the carton, the lowest packing cost, suited to processors and kitchens that thaw a carton at a time.
• IQF, individually quick frozen: each fish frozen separately so single pieces can be taken from the carton; the standard request from foodservice distributors.
• IWP, individually wrapped and packed: IQF fish each in its own bag or wrap inside the carton, for buyers who repack or sell single pieces; availability confirmed per order.

Glazing is the thin coat of ice applied to frozen fish to protect it from dehydration in the cold store. The percentage is not a fixed standard; it is a figure the producer declares and the buyer agrees on the order. What matters is that net weight on the carton and on the invoice is declared excluding glaze, and that the glaze percentage appears on the spec sheet and the label. Ask for both in writing before you compare two frozen offers, because a lower price per kilo with a higher glaze can be the more expensive fish.

Cartons, boxes and net weights

Turkish sea bass and sea bream are exported in two kinds of box. Chilled fish goes in styrofoam boxes of 10 kg net, packed with flake ice, taped and labelled with species, grade, count, packing date and producer approval number. Frozen fish goes in carton boxes of 10 kg net, bulk or IQF, with a polyethylene liner. Custom branding on the box is possible for programmes that justify it.

The 10 kg box is the unit you should quote in. State the number of boxes per grade, whether you want whole round or gutted, chilled or frozen, and the packing style. Pallet and container configurations depend on the box type and the route and are confirmed per order.

What to write in an RFQ for Turkish sea bass or sea bream

A complete request for quotation removes a round of emails. Use this order and you will get an offer you can compare with any other Turkish exporter's.

1. Species by scientific name: Dicentrarchus labrax for sea bass or Sparus aurata for sea bream, plus the trade name your market uses.
2. Form: whole round, gutted or fillet. One line per form.
3. Grade band in grams per piece, and the tolerance you accept at the band edges.
4. Condition: chilled or frozen. For frozen, the packing style (bulk, IQF or IWP) and the glaze percentage you want declared.
5. Box: 10 kg net styrofoam for chilled or 10 kg net carton for frozen, and the number of boxes per grade.
6. Label language and content, including Arabic and English text for the UAE, and any private label artwork.
7. Documents: health certificate, certificate of origin, packing list, commercial invoice, and a halal certificate if your buyer requires it.
8. Incoterm and destination: FOB, CIF or DAP with the port or airport named.
9. Delivery window, and whether this is a one off order or a programme with repeat volumes.

Once the offer arrives, the buyer's guide to Turkish aquaculture explains how to check the certificate scope, the plant approval and the shelf life clause before you confirm.

Shelf life, labels and documents

Shelf life is stated per producer spec sheet, for the chilled and the frozen product separately, and it runs from the packing date printed on the box, not from arrival. Ask for the spec sheet with the offer and check that the remaining life at arrival fits your distribution. Labels for the Gulf normally carry the species and scientific name, farmed origin, grade, net weight, glaze percentage for frozen fish, production and expiry dates, storage temperature and the producer's approval number, in Arabic and English.

Each shipment travels with a health certificate issued by the Turkish competent authority, a certificate of origin, a packing list and a commercial invoice. Halal certification is provided where the producer holds it, with the certificate number, issuing body and scope confirmed before loading. Transit times by air and by sea are confirmed per order.

Working with Avalon

Avalon Global supplies Turkish farmed sea bass and sea bream to importers, wholesalers and restaurant groups in the UAE and the Gulf, whole round, gutted or fillet, chilled or frozen, in the grades listed above. Both species are packed at EU export certified, HACCP approved plants in 10 kg net boxes, and the minimum order is one container, which may be mixed across species and grades. Quotes are given on request through the sea bass and sea bream product pages; no prices are published on this site. Our UAE market page sets out the routes into Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

Frequently Asked Questions

What size grades does Turkish sea bream come in?

Whole round Turkish sea bream, Sparus aurata, is graded 200-300 g, 300-400 g, 400-600 g, 600-800 g, 800-1000 g and 1000 g plus, each band being the weight of one fish before gutting. Gutted sea bream uses the same bands but is quoted separately. Fillets are graded 100-120 g, 120-140 g and 140-180 g per boneless fillet. Boxes are 10 kg net, chilled in styrofoam or frozen in cartons.

What is the most common export size for Turkish sea bass?

The 300-400 g and 400-600 g bands carry most Turkish sea bass export volume, because one fish of that weight is a single plate portion in restaurants and hotel outlets. Smaller 200-300 g fish go to retail trays and catering; 600 g and above go to sharing plates and kitchens that fillet in house. Larger bands are confirmed per order rather than held as stock.

Is Turkish sea bass farmed or wild?

Farmed. Turkish sea bass is European sea bass, Dicentrarchus labrax, raised in offshore cages on the Aegean and Mediterranean coast and harvested all year, which is why it can be graded to the gram and supplied every month. Wild sea bass exists in Turkish waters but is not the product in export offers. The health certificate and the label state the farmed origin and the scientific name.

How is Turkish sea bass packed for export?

Chilled sea bass is packed in flake ice in styrofoam boxes of 10 kg net and flown to the destination. Frozen sea bass is packed in carton boxes of 10 kg net, bulk, IQF or IWP, and shipped in a reefer container. Each box carries the species, grade, count, net weight, packing date and producer approval number, and custom branding is possible. Pallet and container loads are confirmed per order.

What glazing percentage is standard for frozen sea bass?

There is no single standard. The glaze percentage on frozen sea bass is declared by the producer and agreed on the order, and it should appear on the spec sheet and the label. Insist that net weight on the carton and the invoice excludes glaze, so two offers can be compared on the fish you actually receive. If an offer is silent on glaze, ask before you compare its price per kilo.