Salema (Sarpa salpa) can be found over rocky or sandy area just as long as these areas have algal growth. Salema sometimes forming very large schools. The young are carnivorous feeding on crustaceans but as adults they are almost exclusively herbivorous feeding on seaweeds and algae. The flesh is good when fresh, but softens with storage and is not consider one of the better food fishes.
Salema live in the Eastern Atlantic from Bay of Biscay and Strait of Gibraltar to Sierra Leone, including Madeira, the Canary Islands, and Cape Verde; Congo to South Africa. They can also be found in the Mediterranean. The reproductive season extends from September to March, with a peak in spawning activity in December–January.