Common Bream

• The spawning migrations of some river populations can run to 100 km.
• It eats insect larvae, molluscs and plant matter sifted from the muddy bottom.
• It lives in slow-flowing rivers, lakes and nutrient-rich reservoirs across Europe and Asia.

Skeleton type

Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (fish)

Habitat and environment

Slow-flowing rivers, lakes and nutrient-rich reservoirs across much of Europe and western and Central Asia

Birth weight

Tiny larva at hatching

Size at birth

Tiny larva at hatching

Sexual maturity

3-5 years (the female later, up to 6-7 years in some populations)

Gestation / incubation

The eggs hatch in 3-12 days depending on water temperature

Litter / clutch size

90,000 to 300,000 eggs per kg of body weight, laid in 3-4 batches

Sources consulted: PMC (genome study); Farnham Angling Society; First Nature; Animalia.bio; Biology Insights; Grokipedia; AnAge; FishBase

Best time: From May to June, during spawning, when it moves into shallow weedy margins.