Asp (fish)

The asp (Leuciscus aspius) is a European freshwater fish of the Cyprinid family. It is sometimes considered one of two members of the genus Aspius by some taxonomic authorities. It is protected under Appendix III of the Bern Convention and listed as least concern on the IUCN Red List.[1]

Asp
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Cypriniformes
Family:	Cyprinidae
Subfamily:	Leuciscinae
Genus:	Leuciscus
Species:	L. aspius
Binomial name
Leuciscus aspius (Linnaeus, 1758)
Synonyms
Cyprinus aspius Linnaeus, 1758 Aspius aspius (Linnaeus, 1758) Cyprinus rapax Leske, 1774 Cyprinus taeniatus Eichwald, 1831 Aspius rapax (Leske, 1774) Aspius vulgaris Leiblein, 1853 Alburnus iblioides Kessler, 1872 Aspius erytrostomus Kessler, 1877 Aspius linnei Malm, 1877 Aspius transcaucasicus Warpachovski, 1896

Normally, asps are between 10 and 80 cm in length, with some reaching 120 cm, and weighing up to 12 kg. They inhabit lakes and lower reaches of rivers and estuaries. In spring, in April–June, asps migrate from lakes to streams for spawning. Spawning is triggered by the rise in temperature and usually starts at 6 °C. The eggs attach to rocks, gravel, and water plants. After around two weeks, they hatch and the fry drift downstream to calmer waters.

Asps can be found in Estonia, Lithuania, Germany, Norway, Sweden, Finland, the Czech Republic, Poland, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Romania, Russia, Switzerland, Slovenia, the Netherlands, and Belgium. In Switzerland, asps have migrated through the Rhine-Main-Danube Canal, as in Serbia, Croatia, Austria, Hungary, and Slovakia. In the eastern regions of Europe, it is a common species in flowing waters, and popular for fly and other types of fishing.

A 4kg asp caught in Biesbosch, NL

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  Eggs from asp
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  Asp on exhibition Subaqueous Vltava in Prague