Common Roach

A small freshwater fish native to most of Europe and western Asia, absent only around the Mediterranean, with its range extending east into Siberia and around the Caspian and Black Seas. It has a bluish-silvery body that whitens toward the belly, red fins, and a distinctive red spot in the iris above the pupil; young fish are slender while older individuals grow a higher, broader body. It is highly adaptable, living in almost any freshwater habitat from small ponds to large rivers and lakes, and tolerates brackish water, organic pollution and a wide temperature range. Its diet shifts from plankton as a juvenile to a broad mix of plant material, worms and bottom-dwelling invertebrates as an adult.