[2] It enters Volga, Ural, Emba, Terek and Kura drainages for spawning.

Newer research however suggests that R. caspicus is part of a more widely distributed species or roach, whose range extends to Siberia.

It can be distinguished from its congeners in the Caspian Sea by these characteristics: The vobla is found in brackish coastal waters of the northern and northwestern Caspian Sea, and enters Volga, Ural, Emba, Terek, and Kura drainages for spawning.

Many people like to eat their vobla with a glass of beer, which lessens the salty taste of the fish.

It is soaked in brine for some days and then is thoroughly air-dried for another two, which in the end denatures the protein, as a form of chemical "cooking".