Gudgeon

Scientific name:Gobio gobio ((Linnaeus, 1758))
Family: Cyprinidae
Order: Cypriniformes
Class: Actinopterygii
Irish name: Brannóg
Native species: No; introduced sometime after the 12th Century; no historical documentary data⁵;
Irish record angling fish: Not recorded
Hybrids: No

Identifying features

Large scales, a single pair of barbels; tail-fin forked; eye fairly large; yellowish-olive, with blackish patches; fins with rows of dark spots; grows to about 110g; can reach up to 20cm ⁴.

Environment and Habitat

Occur on the bottom or midwater of a water body; migrate within freshwater only¹; widespread across a variety of habitats, from lakes to  slow-flowing lowland rivers to fast-flowing reaches of upland streams and occasionally in lakes;  in summer it tends to be in shallow water, in winter it moves to deeper areas²;

European distribution

Distributed across the continent of Europe.

Economic value in Ireland

No commercial value.

Red list status

Least concern.

Irish legislation status

Protected by Coarse Fish bye-law No. 806, 2006: maximum 4 fish per angler per day; no killing of coarse fish > 25cm.

EU legislation status

Unprotected.