The Silver Bream

The Silver bream belongs to the Cyprinidae family. The usual size of the Silver bream is 20 to 30 cm and weighs about 200 g. The largest specimens can reach 35 cm. The life span of the Silver bream is about 10 years and it breeds from May to July. The female lays 20,000 to 60,000 eggs. It can be fished all year round.
The Silver bream (Blicca bjoerkna) has a high, laterally flattened body, with a bushy back, characteristic of breams and accentuating with age. The head of this bream is small in relation to the size of its body but its eye is quite large, compared to its common cousin. Its snout is short and its mouth is oblique downwards, a characteristic common to fish seeking food on the bottom. The mouth is protractile (it unfolds forward) and free of barbells, surrounded by thick lips. The Silver bream is characterized by a long anal fin with between 22 and 26 rays, although shorter than the fresh water bream (26 to 30 rays). The dorsal fin of the Silver bream is short and high. The caudal fin is strongly indented. The Silver bream has a silvery coloring on the sides and belly, with a dark greyish-green or olive-colored back. The pelvic, pectoral and anal fins have an orange-red color. This last coloring can affect the whole stomach in older Silver breams.