Ide, Orfe

Leuciscus idus

The Ide has a relatively deep body, a small head with a thin terminal mouth and large eyes with a brassy yellow iris. The back of this fish is dark greyish blue, while its sides are silvery and its belly is white. The dorsal fin is greyish blue while the other fins are reddish; the caudal fin is darker in colour and is deeply forked. Ides live in shoals in the lower reaches of large rivers, in valley reservoirs and in lakes; they have also been used to stock fishponds. These fish are particularly abundant in the Danube and in the big rivers in Europe, where they are fished commercially, and they are also found in the brackish waters of the Baltic Sea. Ide have a life span of 10-15 years and become sexually mature when three to five years old. In the spring, adult individuals migrate in shoals to their spawning grounds. Small spawning tubercles appear on the head, body and pectoral fins of the females at this time. The eggs are laid between April and June on a gravelly or sandy bed, on aquatic plants or on fine tree roots. Spawning is a very stormy process, as the fish whirl about in their gleaming gold nuptial dress. Ides feed on zooplankton, aquatic insects, trapped floating insects, molluscs, fish fry, algae and water weeds. They are popular with anglers and have quite tasty flesh. The Orfe, the golden variety of the Ide, is an artificially bred form (just as the Goldfish is an artificial form of the Carp).

size	30-40cm, exceptionally up to 60cm
Weight	0.5-2.5 kg, occasionally up to 4 kg
Fin formula	D III/7-9, A III/9-10
Fecundity	70,000-120,000 per kg body weight (average 85,000)
Distribution	Northwestern and central Europe

The Orfe, a goldern variety of the Ide, is a very popular choice for ponds and lakes in public parks and gardens.