Often confused with rudd, roach are different in several ways, one being that the irises of its eyes are red where those of rudd are golden with a red fleck on the upper side. Roach also have a straight mouth right at the end of their head whereas rudd have an upturned mouth a bit like a smile!
Max size – Approx 35cm
Distribution – Widespread across Europe and introduced to many other areas due its popularity among anglers
Feeds on – Omnivores, eating insects, crustaceans, molluscs and plants

Bream (also called bronze or carp bream) are believed to be the slimiest European fish! They are a large member of the carp family and are easily confused with other types of bream including blue, Danube and silver bream. Bream live in shoals and when they are juveniles, often feed on insects like midges close to the water surface in the summer, getting the nickname ‘skimmers’.
Max size – Approx 50-60cm
Distribution – Europe and Asia
Feeds on – Primarily bottom dwelling insects, small crustaceans, molluscs, plants and small fish

There are many different forms of this species. The most widespread, the brown trout, spends its life in freshwater. Another form, the sea trout (which looks similar to salmon), migrates from the river to the sea, returning to the river to spawn. Over fishing and pollution have caused brown trout numbers to crash and high numbers of sea lice from salmon farms have wiped out sea trout in some areas. Re-stocking with farm fish causes more problems.
Max size – Approx 30cm
Distribution – Northeast Atlantic to southern Norway, Iceland and Greenland
Feeds on – Invertebrates such as insects and crustaceans. Also small fish