The black bream is primarily an inhabitant of brackish waters of estuaries and coastal lakes, rarely entering the open ocean, as it cannot complete its life cycle in a fully marine environment.

During the breeding season, the species is known to penetrate into the upper reaches of rivers to spawn, causing an influx of juveniles in the estuaries a few months later.

Aquaculture techniques for the species are being developed, but its slow growth rate poses a major hurdle to large scale food production.

[7] The Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts of the Federal Government designated black bream as preferred name.

[2] Black bream has also been designated the standard name by the CSIRO Division of Marine and Atmospheric Research in commercial fishing in Australia.

[10] The southern black bream has a deep, moderately compressed body, with both the dorsal and ventral profiles equally curved.

[11] There is a single dorsal fin originating a little behind the posterior edge of the operculum, consisting of 10 to 13 spines set in front of 10 to 13 soft rays.

[11] The southern black bream is golden brown or bronze coloured on the back and sides, with greenish reflections when fresh, while the belly and chin are white.

[8] Southern black bream primarily inhabit estuarine environments,[14] penetrating into the far reaches of freshwater creeks and rivers during the summer spawning season.

[18] The species is rarely found in the ocean, but are often washed out of creeks during times of high river flow and are able to survive in the marine environment, where they inhabit inshore reefs and rocky shorelines.

The low numbers may be correlated with the state's lack of rivers and estuaries, although bream have been caught in unexpected areas, including the Gulfs, as well as deep rocky reefs off Streaky Bay in lobster traps.

[19] Southern black bream are opportunistic omnivores,[17] consuming a wide range of prey, including sessile, burrowing, benthic and pelagic species.

Fish feeding in the upper reaches of river have different prey, reflecting the freshwater fauna, with insects, hardyheads, tadpoles, brine shrimp and gastropods taken.

It is when they reach five years in age that fish living in the marine environment move offshore to deeper reefs, returning to the rivers to spawn, as they cannot complete their life cycle in the ocean.

[27] Southern black bream are one of the most important species to both commercial and recreational fisheries throughout its range, valued for its flavoursome and moist flesh.

[19] In lower Western Australia the Culham and Stokes inlet produce the bulk of the state's catch, with annual hauls far greater now than during the early 1990s.

Bream are also popular due to their accessibility, with fish commonly caught from harbour and estuary banks, piers and rock walls, therefore eliminating the need for a boat in most regions.

[30] The southern black bream is protected by size and bag limits in all the states it inhabits, which anglers must be aware of or face fines.

[33] Southern black bream are relatively easy to grow in captivity, with fish usually spawning during their natural season without needing the addition of hormones.

[34] Despite this, bream are not bred on a commercial basis due to a comparatively slow growth rate and a low fillet recovery.

Overlapping the distribution of A. butcheri in the west is Acanthopagrus morrisoni, the western yellowfin bream, which can be distinguished by the prominent yellow ventral, anal and lower caudal fins.