Bleak
Alburnus alburnus
Roach
Rutilus rutilus
About
The roach is one of the most common freshwater fish across Europe, equally at home in a quiet pond or a busy river. It grows up to 50 cm and just over 1.8 kg, though most you see will be far smaller.
Also known as: european roach, roach, siberian roach
- Length
- 25 cm · max 50.2 cm
- Weight
- max 1.8 kg
- Depth
- up to 50 m
- Temperature
- 10–20 °C
How to tell it apart
It can be confused with the rudd, dace, or ide. The clearest mark is the eye: the roach has a distinct red spot above the pupil, while the rudd's eye is plain yellow and the dace's eye has no colour at all.
Appearance
This fish has a silvery-blue body that turns white on the belly, with red fins. Young roach have a slim build, while older fish grow a deeper, broader body shape.
Habitat
It lives in almost any freshwater setting, from small ponds to large rivers and lakes, and tolerates brackish water and polluted conditions better than most fish. It shoals in open water, feeding near the surface in warm weather and moving to deeper water in winter, and prefers spots with some plant growth.
Breeding
Spawning runs from March to June, triggered by rising water temperature, usually at the same site each year. Groups of males gather and chase females as they release their eggs, with rough, splashy behaviour that can send fish leaping clear of the water. It cannot reproduce successfully if the water is too acidic.
Did you know?
It can produce fertile hybrids with the common bream, a fish from a different genus entirely.
Log it in Into the Blue
Describe what you saw and we name it, then keep every species you find in your Oceandex.
