Taxonomy

Abramis brama | Common Bream | Bran fionnuisce

Distribution

Status

Conservation status

Least Concern

First reported in the wild

pre-1700

Invasiveness

Non-native species - Low risk of Impact

Irish status

Established

Introduction pathways - 1

Release in Nature

Introduction pathways subclass - 1

Fishing in the wild

Invasive score

13

NAPRA Ireland risk assessed

No

Species Biology

Identification

Freshwater fish, 30-50cm in length (max 80cm), dark browny grey on dorsal surface, bronze/silver on the sides, yellowish silver on the belly (Maitland, 2004). Deep, laterally compressed body with 51-60 cycloid scales along the lateral line, dorsal fin with 8-10 rays, 24-30 on rays on anal fin (Maitland, 2004).

Ecology

Feed primarily on the benthos, on Gammarus spp., insect larvae and nymphs, Assellus spp., oligochaetes and molluscs (Kennedy & Fitzmaurice, 1968; Maitland, 2004). Classified as "non-native non-benign" in the Irish Red list of Fish, Amphibians and Reptiles, meaning it is a fish species that is thought to impact on the ecology of water bodies in which it is present (King et al., 2011).

Habitat

Inland surface waters

Reproduction

Communal spawning May to June once temperatures reach approximately 15°C, primarily on emergent vegetation (Kennedy & Fitzmaurice, 1968) 100,000 - 500,000 eggs produced per female with eggs hatching after 7-10 days (Kennedy & Fitzmaurice, 1968; Maitland, 2004).

Pathway and vector description

Introduced to Ireland pre -1700 to establish a fishery in the wild (King et al., 2011).

Mechanism of impact

Competition,

Broad environment

Freshwater

Habitat description

Generally found in deep, slow flowing rivers and lakes shoaling near the bottom they relatively intolerant of pollution (King et al., 2011; Maitland, 2004)

Species group

Vertebrate

Native region

Europe

Distribution

World distribution(GBIF)

Irish distribution

Established - Widespread & Locally abundant. While no population estimate exists for Ireland, it is common in the Shannon and largely absent from the south east of the country (King et al., 2011).

Native distribution

Native in Europe from the south east of England to the Caspian Sea.

Temporal change

Date of first record category

Pre-1900

Fifty year date category

Unknown

Records submitted to Data Centre in 2024

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How can you help

Report any sightings to the National Biodiversity Data Centre.

References

Publications

King, J.L., Marnell, F., Kingston, N., Rosell, R., Boylan, P., Caffrey, J.M., Fitzpatrick, Ú., Gargan, P.G., Kelly, F.L., O’Grady, M.F., Poole, R., Roche, W.K. & Cassidy, D. (2011) Ireland Red List No. 5: Amphibians, Reptiles & Freshwater Fish. National Parks and Wildlife Service, Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Dublin, Ireland. Kennedy, M., & Fitzmaurice, P. (1968). The biology of the bream Abramis brama (L) in Irish waters. In Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. Section B: Biological, Geological, and Chemical Science (pp. 95-157). Royal Irish Academy. Maitland, P. (2004). Keys to the freshwater fish of Britain and Ireland, with notes on their distribution and ecology. The Freshwater Biological Association, Cumbria, UK.

http://www.habitas.org.uk/invasive/species.asp?Item=5025 http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/135696/0