Vimba

The Vimba or Vimba Bream, belongs to the most valuable fish species in the Cyprinidae family due to its desirable flavor. Its native range includes Central Europe, except France, Italy and Spain. In European Russia vimba lives in the south and south-west regions (in the Dniestr, the Bug River, the Kuban and the Volga, in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov). It also occurs in Lake Ladoga and Lake Ilmen, in the Gulf of Finland in the Narva River and the Neva. Vimba feel good when inhabiting areas of rapids, it likes clean and flowing water. It may live in both fresh and brackish water. Normally it stays in the bottom water. It feeds on crustaceans, mollusks, insect larvae and on rare occasion on small fish. Vimba resembles bream in its appearance. It is distinguished by a shorter anal fin, a pronounced keeled back outline and a mouth behind the snout. Its back is bluish gray, its belly is silvery white. Pectoral, pelvic and anal fins are pale yellow. Its coloring becomes more vivid before spawning. Its back darkens, its belly, pelvic and anal fins turn red. Nacreous tubercles appear on the male’s head. Usually vimba grow to about 25 cm with a weight of about 300 to 400 g. A large specimen may reach a length of 50 cm and a weight of 3 kg.