Everything about Carp Bream totally explained
:
The
carp bream (
Abramis brama) is a species of fresh-water
fish belonging to the family
Cyprinidae, to which about 1,500 species belong.
Range
The bream's home range is in Europe north of the
Alps and
Pyrenees, as well as in the
Balkans. It is also found as far east as the
Caspian Sea, the
Black Sea, and the
Aral Sea.
Description
The carp bream is usually 30 to 55 centimeters (12 to 20 inches) long, though some specimens have been as long as 75 cm (30 in.), and weighed two to four kilograms (four to nine pounds).
It has a laterally flattened and high-backed body and a slightly inferior mouth. The fish is a silvery gray color, though older fish can be bronze-colored especially in clear waters. The fins are grayish to black and never colored.
Similar-looking fish
It can easily be confused with
silver bream (
Blicca bjoerkna), in particular at the younger stages (see picture). The most reliable method is counting the scales in a straight line from the first ray of the backfin to the
lateral line. White bream has less than ten scales, carp bream 11 or more. At the adult stage the reddish implant of the
pectoral fin of the
Silver Bream is a very clear mark. Like all
cyprinidae carp bream can easily
hybridize with other species.
Habitat
The carp bream generally lives in rivers (especially in the lower reaches) and in nutrient-rich lakes and ponds with many
algae and muddy bottoms. It can also be found in brackish sea waters.
Feeding habits
It lives in schools near the bottom. At night carp bream can feed close to the
shore and in clear waters with sandy bottoms the feeding pits can be seen during daytime. The fish's protactile mouth helps it dig for
chironomidae larvae,
tubificidae,
bivalves, and
gastropods. The carp bream eats water plants and
plankton as well.
In very turbid waters bream can occur in large numbers which can result in a shortage of bottom feeds like chironomidae. The carp bream is then forced to start
filter feeding with its gill rakers with Daphnia as the main prey. As the fish grows the gill rakers grow to far apart to catch its prey and the bream won't grow bigger then 40 cm. If a carp bream is malnourished it can develop a so-called
knife back, the formation of a very sharp edge along its back.
Spawning
The
spawning time of the carp bream is from April to June, when water temperatures are around 17°C (63°F). In this time the males form
territories in which the females lay their 100,000 to 300,000 eggs on water plants. The fish larvae hatch after three to twelve days and attach themselves with special adhesive glands to water plants until their
yolk is used up.
The young fish are often not recognized as bream for their slender posture, they're recognizable by their flat body shape and silvery color. At this stage the fish is still pelagic, but in a few months the fishes take their typical body shape and become bottom dwellers. After three to four years the fish are sexually mature.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Carp Bream'.
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