Rudd

This coppery-gold fish with bright red fins primarily is a surface feeder in most still waterbodies in the UK including ponds, lakes and canals. Thrive in clean water with high levels of pondweed. Rudd commonly interbreed with closely-related cyprinid species including bream and roach to produce hybrids. This often occurs as all species roughly spawn around the sample time.

In Ireland, rudd have been mostly relocated for the purpose of angling to small, isolated lakes where roach are not known to be present. However, many other populations have still suffered number losses due to spread of roach and few populations remain where hybrids are not present.

• Avoid stepping into the water – this can stir up sediment, throwing up sediment DNA and any inhibitory molecules present. Sediment may clog the filter and prevent sufficient volumes of water being filtered.