Head to head
Common Bream vs Roach
Common Bream
VS Roach
The common bream and the roach are two of the most abundant fish of slow rivers, canals, and lakes in Europe, often shoaling in the same water and sometimes even interbreeding.
| Common Bream | Roach | |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific name | Abramis brama | Rutilus rutilus |
| Relationship | A fellow member of the carp family, which can interbreed with the roach | A fellow member of the carp family, which can interbreed with the bream |
| Body shape | A tall, flattened, slab-sided body with a slender tail and a long anal fin | A deep, flat-sided body, but more compact and with a much shorter anal fin |
| Colour | Bronze to brown in older fish and silvery in younger ones, with dark fins | Silvery, with reddish-orange pelvic and anal fins and, on most fish, a red flush in the eye |
| Feeding method | Pushes its mouth out into a downward-pointing tube to suck worms, midge larvae, snails, and mussels from the mud | Grazes and sifts plant matter, plankton, insect larvae, small snails, and shrimp from weed and the water column |
| Behaviour | Lives in large shoals, especially as it gets older, roaming slowly over the bottom and sending streams of bubbles to the surface as it feeds | Gathers in large, active shoals and is the classic first catch for beginner anglers |
| Spawning | Males develop white spawning tubercles on the head and body in spring, and the fish spawn in shallow, weedy water | Spawns in shallow, weedy water, where it breeds freely with rudd, bream, and bleak |
| Conservation status | Least Concern, native to slow rivers, lakes, and brackish waters across northern and central Europe | Least Concern, native to most of Europe and much of northern and central Asia |
Common Bream vs Roach: common questions
How can you tell a bream from a roach?
The bream is taller and more slab-sided, bronze in older fish, with a long anal fin and a mouth that pushes out into a tube, while the roach is smaller and silvery with red fins.
Do bream and roach interbreed?
Yes, roach interbreed readily with bream where they share spawning grounds, and the hybrids show a blend of features from both parents.
Why does a bream stir up bubbles?
It roots in the bottom mud for worms, larvae, and snails, and the disturbed mud releases streams of bubbles that rise to the surface.