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A close-up of a fish that will lie very still for long periods waiting for prey and strike with swift acceleration.

Rivers - Fish

River fish are built for life in moving water, from streamlined bodies to clever senses. Learn how they feed, grow, and survive in UK rivers, then take the quiz.

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Fascinating Fact

Barbel have sensitive barbels near the mouth, which help them find food on the riverbed in cloudy water.

River fish live in habitats that can change quickly, including water speed, depth, temperature, and oxygen levels. Different species prefer different conditions, such as fast, stony runs or slower, weedy stretches. Many fish use cover like roots and overhanging banks to avoid predators, rest from the current, and ambush food. Healthy rivers also need clean gravel for spawning, good water quality, and connected habitats so fish can move to feed and breed.

Key Terms

Habitat: The natural place where an animal lives, including the water, plants, and riverbed it depends on.
Gills: Breathing organs that take oxygen from water as it flows over thin, blood-rich surfaces.
Spawning: When fish reproduce by releasing eggs and milt (sperm) into the water, often in a specific season and place.

Frequently Asked Questions (Click to see answers)

What fish live in rivers in the UK?

UK rivers can contain species such as trout, salmon, barbel, chub, dace, perch, pike, and eels. Which fish you find depends on the river’s speed, temperature, and water quality.

How do river fish breathe underwater?

River fish breathe using gills. As water passes through the mouth and over the gills, oxygen moves into the blood and carbon dioxide moves out, so the fish can breathe without surfacing.

Why do river fish need clean gravel and plants?

Clean gravel provides gaps where eggs can be protected and supplied with oxygen-rich water. Plants and roots offer shelter, feeding areas, and places for young fish to hide from predators.

Try These Related Quizzes

To see a larger image, click on the picture.

1 .

Can you identify this fish?

Photograph courtesy of www.lucnix.be/main.php

Gudgeon

Pike

Barbel

Bleak

Order: Esociformes
Family: Esocidae
Genus: Esox
Species: E. lucius
Found in slow streams and shallow, weedy places in lakes.
They lie very still for long periods waiting for prey and strike with swift acceleration.
Are cannibalistic.

2 .

Can you identify this fish?

Photograph courtesy of J.C. Harf

Roach

Spined loach

Minnow

Rudd

Order: Cypriniformes
Family: Cobitidae
Genus: Cobitis
Species: C. taenia
Can be spotted near flat and sandy or stony areas, often in large numbers.
In the daytime, they bury themselves in the bed with just the head and tail peeping out.
Feeds and is most active at night.

3 .

Can you identify this fish?

Photograph courtesy of Karelj

Chub

Tench

Dace

Bream

Order: Cypriniformes
Family: Cyprinidae
Genus: Tinca
Species: T. tinca
Has very small scales, making it as slippery as an eel.
In folklore it is said that this slime cured any sick fish that rubbed against it.
For this reason, the fish is also known as 'doctor fish'.

4 .

Can you identify this fish?

Photograph courtesy of Karelj

Minnow

Gudgeon

Orfe

Roach

Order: Cypriniformes
Family: Cyprinidae
Genus: Rutilus
Species: R. rutilus
A blueish silvery-coloured fish.
Can be recognised by a big red spot in the iris above and beside the pupil.
Feeds in deeper parts of water.
Tolerates organic pollution particularly well and is one of the last species to die in such circumstances.

5 .

Can you identify this fish?

Photograph courtesy of CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=532124

Orfe

Bream

Tench

Wels Catfish

Order: Siluriformes
Family: Siluridae
Genus: Silurus
Species: S. glanis
A large fish which can reach up to 3 m (9.8 ft) in length.
It catches prey by using its fins to create an eddy to disorient the victim.
Has very good hearing.

6 .

Can you identify this fish?

Photograph courtesy of Seotaro

Bream

Minnow

Bleak

Bitterling

Order: Cypriniformes
Family: Cyprinidae
Subfamily: Acheilognathinae
Genus: Rhodeus
They depend on freshwater mussels to reproduce, therefore their range is restricted.
Parents transfer responsibility for the care of their offspring by depositing eggs into the mantle cavity of the mussels.

7 .

Can you identify this fish?

Photograph courtesy of Sven.petersen

Barbel

Pike

Smelt

Bleak

Order: Cypriniformes
Family: Cyprinidae
Genus: Barbus
Species: B. barbus
The eggs of this fish are poisonous.
Was once called the 'pigfish' in folklore.
Is a very popular sport fish.
Angling societies exist which specifically promote the pursuit and conservation of the species.

8 .

Can you identify this fish?

Photograph courtesy of Karelj

Roach

Smelt

Chub

Dace

Order: Cypriniformes
Family: Cyprinidae
Genus: Squalius
Species: S. cephalus
Due to their readiness to feed (and therefore be caught) they are popular with anglers.
Renowned for their fierce appetite and will take baits such as cheese and sweetcorn!

9 .

Can you identify this fish?

Photograph courtesy of Leonard G.

Rudd

Chub

Common Carp

Dace

Order: Cypriniformes
Family: Cyprinidae
Genus: Cyprinus
Species: C. carpio
Native to Asia but introduced to most parts of the world.
Was domesticated between the 13th and 16th centuries by monks as food.
The eggs are used for caviar in the United States.

10 .

Can you identify this fish?

Photograph courtesy of Heptagon

Goldfish

Bream

Smelt

Gudgeon

Order: Cypriniformes
Family: Cyprinidae
Genus: Carassius
Species: C. auratus
One of the earliest fish to be domesticated.
Also, one of the most commonly kept aquarium fish.
If left in the dark for a period of time, they will gradually change colour until they are almost grey.