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FISH GUIDE · Freshwater

White-eye bream: identification, habitat and fishing guide

Ballerus sapa

White-eye bream is a leuciscid of large Eurasian rivers. This sheet concerns identification and protection in Upper Austria, where the general rules protect it throughout the year; methods named in Lower Austria are not transferred.

Catalogue names : White-eye bream. Forms and names may vary between habitats.

Editorial review : · This species guide is not permission to fish. Read the precautions below and check the current rules for your location before targeting a species. Some species or populations are protected.

Geographical distribution

Ponto-Caspian and Aral basins; introduced in the Rhine. Uncertain origin in the Northern Dvina.

  • Documented presence : Black Sea basins
  • Documented presence : Caspian Sea basins
  • Introduction : Rhine basin

Documented areas, not an exhaustive list. Presence in a region does not imply presence in every water body or permission to fish.

Distribution sources

Identification

Small downturned mouth, large eye.

The lower tail lobe is elongated and the anal fin very long. The Upper Austrian federation describes a compressed body with a pearly sheen; compare several features without prolonging handling.

Habitat

Large lowland rivers and estuaries.

Diet

Its diet includes invertebrates found on the bottom.

Behaviour

Active at night; spawning aggregations.

The Lower Austrian federation describes a gregarious fish staying near the bottom in strong-current stretches of the Danube and its tributaries. This local context does not define every European population.

Indicative biological size

Commonly 15 cm total length.

Fishing context and precautions

Upper Austria, general rules: Ballerus sapa is protected throughout the year. No targeting, holding alive or retention; incidental captures must be released immediately with the greatest care. Check the venue’s specific regulations; intending to release it does not permit targeting.

A distinctive feature

Adhesive eggs on stones or plants.

A 2024 study recovered identifiable DNA from scales of a historical stuffed specimen held in Vienna.

Sources and review

Each reference includes its access date. Overall editorial review: . Local conditions and regulations may change.

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