Orontes bream

Q: Can you eat Orontes bream?

A small cyprinid bream from the Orontes River basin in the Levant; consumed locally in artisanal fisheries. Bony flesh with mild flavor; typically fried whole in Middle Eastern river-fish traditions.

Q: How big does Orontes bream get?

Orontes bream can grow up to 20.200000762939453 cm long.

Q: Where is Orontes bream found?

Native to the Orontes River drainage in Lebanon, Syria, and Turkey, which drains into the northeastern Mediterranean Sea. Tolerates mild brackish conditions near the river's lower reaches and estuarine mouth near Samandağ, Turkey. The Orontes River system (Nahr al-Asi) in Syria, Lebanon, and Turkey. A unique Levantine freshwater drainage; slow to moderately flowing river sections with sandy and gravel substrates.

Q: What family does Orontes bream belong to?

Orontes bream (Acanthobrama centisquama) belongs to the family Leuciscidae in the order Cypriniformes (Carps and minnows).

Abstract

A deep body, silvery flanks and a forked tail mark Acanthobrama centisquama, which reaches 20.2 cm. Pale silvery to greyish colouring runs under a greenish-olive back, with dark scale margins giving a faint reticulation, a silvery-white belly and pale to clear fins. The species is native to the Orontes drainage (Nahr al-Asi) in Lebanon, Syria and Turkey, a Levantine river system draining to the northeastern Mediterranean, and tolerates mildly brackish water near the estuary at Samandağ. Slow to moderately flowing reaches over sand and gravel are its usual habitat. Artisanal fisheries take it for local consumption, typically fried whole. It belongs to the family Leuciscidae, order Cypriniformes.