Roach

Where it lives

Roach inhabit lakes, slow rivers, canals, and gravel pits across most of Europe and into Western Siberia. They tolerate a wide range of conditions and are often the most numerous fish in any given lowland water, forming large mobile shoals.

How to recognise it

A small, silvery, somewhat compressed body with a rounded back. Scales are well-defined; the eye is bright red. Pelvic and anal fins are pinkish to orange-red; the dorsal fin sits directly above the pelvic fins — a key field mark distinguishing roach from the closely related rudd.

Diet & behavior

Roach are omnivorous foragers, eating algae, midge larvae, snails, crustaceans, and plant matter. They are highly social and shoal year-round. Spawning happens in spring in shallow weedy margins, often producing dense egg-coated plant strands.

Fisheries & Conservation

Globally Least Concern. Roach are a foundation species in European coarse-fishing culture and an important forage species for predators like pike, perch, and zander.