Eggs of whitefishes in Northern Europe and Siberia, and eggs of cyprinids in the temperate zone of Europe can be a supplementary food. Adults compete with bream, roach, benthivorous whitefishes, and prey of pikeperch, burbot, pike, large perch, and eel. Ruffe show flexible foraging, breeding, and migratory behavior. They mature very early, at 2-3 years, males sometimes in the first year. The age of maturation is almost the same from the northern to southern areas.
Fecundity tends to increase north to south.
Maximum age is 15 years, although in the south and temperate zone, usually not more than 10 years. Maximum length is about 20 cm, weight is 200 g. The highest growth rate is recorded in the first year. Ruffe variability to a larger extent depends on local ecological situations rather than on latitudinal factors. Attempts to control ruffe populations with small-mesh seines were unsuccessful and only caused a reduction in average age of populations.