Bream

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Bream caught in the Volga River near Kashin, Russia.

This article is about a group of fish. For the species of fish known simply as Bream in the UK, see Carp Bream. For the guitarist, see Julian Bream. For the baseball player, see Sid Bream.

Bream is a general term for a number of species of freshwater and marine fish, mainly, but not exhaustively, drawn from the genera Abramis (e.g. A. brama, the carp bream); Acanthopagrus; Argyrops; Blicca; Brama; Etelis; Lepomis; Gymnocranius; Lethrinus; Nemipterus; Rhabdosargus and Scolopsis.

Although species from all of these genera are called "bream", the term does not imply a degree of relatedness between these species. Fish termed "bream" tend to be narrow, deep bodied species. The name is a derivation of the Middle English word breme, of Old French origin.

The term sea bream is sometimes used for porgies (family Sparidae) or pomfrets (family Bramidae).