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