Design LANIQAtuotanto
Blue breamAmbramis ballerus This relative of the bream has a bluish back and silver flanks. Its feather-like tail and upward turned mouth are characteristic of blue bream. Its diet consists of water fleas and crustaceans swimming in open waters. Occasionally, the blue bream also eats aquatic plants. It is a fish of Finland’s inland waters and does not tolerate high saline brackish water; hence, it is a rare visitor at Finnish coasts. Slow growing, about 40 centimetres long and on average less than one kilogram, it is not an ideal food fish. In 1969, a cross between the blue bream and the roach, the "blue bream roach", was caught in Vanajavesi.  
BreamAbramis brama Flat bream are usually easy to spot, although smaller ones can sometimes be mistaken for silver bream. They are typically silver hued, with grey fins although larger specimens also have a bronze tint along their flanks. Bream are between 35-45 centimetres long and weigh several kilograms; the largest bream caught in Finland was 11.5 kilograms! Due to their large size, bream are economically important prey fish in Finland. Bream inhabit Finland’s inland waters, all the way up to the town of Sodankyla and the coastline with its brackish water. Omnivorous bream often swim in schools and rummage on bottoms sucking up gastropods, bivalve, insect larvae as well as sea plants, with their flexible mouths. 
CarpCyprinus carpio Plump and golden hued carp lives in shallow, eutrophic waters in southern Finland and in low saline gulfs along the coast. On its jaws, it has two pairs of barbels that help it seek insect larvae, gastropods and other small animals. It spawns during summer months, once water temperatures rise, unfortunately its offspring are unable to grow strong enough to survive their first winter. Due to their low survival rates, carps must be frequently replanted. They can grow to well over 50 centimetres in length and weigh almost 20 kilograms. Depending on the type of carp their scales can vary - for example, the mirror carp is partly bald and the few scales it does have are large. 
Crucian carpCarassius carassius The crucian carp is a tenacious fish which prospers even in wintry, low oxygen water conditions, as it is able to produce oxygen by using the sugar reserves of its liver. This process also creates alcohol but has had no adverse effect on anglers! Crucian carp are often the only fish in ponds where other fish have departed. Coppery in hue and up to 40 centimetres long, it is a close relative of the gold fish common in aquariums. There are also lake and pond forms of the crucian carp, but they are actually the same species. Its size depends on the amount of nutrition it is able to attain; it is usually able to obtain the greatest amount of food in large lakes. Apart from lakes and ponds, it also inhabits the southern coastal waters of Finland. 
RoachRutilus rutilus The red-eyed and silver coloured roach, is often the first catch of many hobby anglers. Nowadays it is not valued as a food fish, although charred roach is said to be delicious. During the day, roach move in schools along shallow waters, small roach consuming water fleas and crustaceans, while large ones also eat bivalves and aquatic plants. Roach have been seen nesting among schools of bleak with their tails pointed upward, which is an indication for bleak to begin cleaning the roaches scales. One can encounter roach almost everywhere in Finland, along seashores, rivers, lakes and ponds. 
RuddScardinius erythrophthalmus Rudd is related to roach and inhabit the inland and coastal waters of southern Finland. This beautiful fish resembles roach, but can easily be distinguished from it by its red fins and tail. Larger rudd can reach a maximum length of 40 centimetres. They have a slightly coppery hue, whereas younger ones are silver flanked. The rudd favours eutrophic areas of still lakes or bays and does dislike streaming water. It consumes gastropods, isopods and insect larvae, although the adult rudd also eats water plants, such as bladder wracks, filamentous algae and kelp. The rudd is quite bony and not an ideal food fish. |
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