Introduction
Abramis brama, more commonly known as freshwater bream, is a freshwater fish (temperate zone) native to Asia and Europe.
Who is it?
Morphology
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Average size25 cm
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Maximum size70 cm
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Longevity20 year
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ShapeOval
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Average size25 cm
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Maximum size70 cm
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Longevity20 year
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ShapeOval
How to recognize This fish ?
It has a high, compressed body on the sides. The color of its back ranges from brownish to grayish. Its flanks are silvery. It easily hybridizes with the roach, the silver bream, and the bleak (sterile hybrids).
Behaviour & Life cycle
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dietomnivorous with herbivorous tendency
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Sociabilityliving in shoals
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territorialNo
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Way of livingdiurnal
The freshwater bream is a schooling fish that naturally resides at mid-depth and near the bottom. It is a species with a rather calm temperament.
Generally, it is an independent fish that hardly cares about other species.
It feeds by sifting through the mud at the bottom with its snout, which clouds the water and seems to protect it from its most common predator: the pike.
Reproduction
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Reproductionovipare qui pond sur substrat découvert
The freshwater bream is an oviparous fish that spawns on open substrate.
Harmless species
This species does not represent any particular threats to humans when encountered in its natural environment.
Origin and distribution
Geographic distribution & Conservation
The freshwater bream lives in slow (even stagnant) waters, deep and rich in alluvium.
This species lives primarily in Europe, where it is native to most of the continent, particularly the Atlantic basin (from Norway to southwestern France), as well as the basins of the Baltic, Black, White, and Marmara seas. It is also found in parts of Central Asia, including the Caspian and Aral Sea basins. It has been widely introduced elsewhere, notably in Ireland, Italy, Spain, Turkey, Kazakhstan, China, Mongolia, and possibly more recently in North Africa.
Conservation status of populations (IUCN)
Where to see this species?
What is its habitat?
Natural environment characteristics
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Temperature10 - 24 °C
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pH (acidity)7 - 7.5
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gh (hardness)10 - 20
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FlowSlow and Stagnant
Biotope presentation
The freshwater bream naturally resides in neutral water. The ground is generally made up of sand, peat, and mud.
To go further
Sources & Contributions
Participation & Validation
The Fishipedia team and specialist contributors are committed to providing high-quality content. However, although the information comes from scientific sources or testimonials from specialists, the cards may contain inaccuracies.
Patrick Chartrer
Benoit Chartrer
Translation
Translation done with the valuable contribution of our translators, who make this information available to a wider audience. We sincerely thank them for their commitment.
Marine Kassel
Bibliographic references
- - GBIF - Abramis brama
- - iNaturalist - Abramis brama
- - Les Poissons d'eau douce de France - Eric Feunteun - Jean Allardi - Philippe Keith - Biotope Edition - 2011. Collection Inventaires & Biodiversité, publication scientifique du Muséum
Where to see this species?
Scientific partners
Tags
Species of the same family
