Common bleak small shellfish and plant detritus. It is found in streams and lakes. The bleak prefers open waters and is found in large numbers where there is an inflow of food from pumping stations or behind weirs. The bleak spawns near the shore in shallow waters. Some are found in deep water. The substrate is not important. The bleak is an important food source for predatory fish. It is more sensitive to pollution than other cyprinids, which might explain the decline in North-Western Europe. Bleak are used as bait for sport-fishing for larger fish. In 1656 in Paris, a Mr. Jaquin
Common minke whale sharks have been found scavenging the blubber thrown overboard during Norwegian minke whaling operations off Svalbard. Great white sharks and blue sharks have also been observed feeding on a minke whale carcass off California. A new species of siboglinid annelid worm, "Osedax mucofloris", was discovered on the carcass of a 5.3 m (17.4 ft) female minke whale experimentally placed at a depth of 125 m (410 ft) in the North Sea. This genus of worm uses endosymbiotic bacteria to feed on the bones of whales that fall to the seafloor. Common minke whales are a host to a number of