Tench

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For the submarine class, see Tench class submarine.

iTench

Scientific classification

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Cypriniformes
Family:	Cyprinidae
Genus:	Tinca Cuvier, 1816
Species:	T. tinca

Binomial name

Tinca tinca
(Linnaeus, 1758)

The tench or doctor fish (Tinca tinca) is a fish of the Cyprinid family, and is one of the commonest and most widely spread freshwater fishes of Europe.

It thrives best in enclosed, preserved waters, with a clayey or muddy bottom and with an abundant vegetation; it avoids clear waters with stony ground, and is altogether absent from rapid streams. The tench is distinguished by its very small scales, which are deeply imbedded in a thick skin, whose surface is as slippery as that of an eel.

The largest Tench are often found in gravel pits, although equally at home in waters with a clayey or silty bottom where there is an abundance of vegetation; dislikes rapid streams. (UK Tench record: 15.03.06 Darren Ward Sheepwalk, Feltham June 2001)

They are usually distinguished by their olive green skin (although various shades are often found) and small distinct red eyes. All the fins have a rounded outline; the short dorsal fin is without a spine, but the males possess a very thick and flattened outer ray in the ventral fins. The mouth is rather narrow and provided at each corner with a very small barbel. They live on small animals or soft vegetable substances, which they root up from the bottom.

The albino variety especially, which is known as the golden tench, can be recommended for ornamental waters, as its bright orange colours render it visible for some distance below the surface of the water. This variety, which seems to have been originally bred in Silesia, is not less well-flavoured than the normally coloured tench, and grows to the same size, viz., to 6 and even 8 ponds.

Tench are very strong fighters when caught on a rod.

The tench is really an excellent fish for the table, if kept in cool, clear water for a few days, as it is the custom to do in Germany, in order to rid it of the muddy flavour imparted to it by its favorite abode.

1 Spread
2 Ornamental use
3 Notes
4 References

[edit] Spread

The tench was first introduced to New Zealand in 1867. Although imported as a sports fish, there was little angler interest until after 1990. Tench grow to a large size in New Zealand, and some northern lakes have now gained an international reputation among anglers who prefer fishing for coarse fish. Fish over 2 kg in weight are not uncommon, and in some instances 4 kg fish have been caught.

In Europe, tench tend to grow to 5-6 kg in lakes where conditions are especially favourable for tench. The Swedish sport fishing record is 5.46 kg.

Although most tench fishing occurs in the Auckland area, tench are also present in isolated locations in Northland, Tauranga and Wellington. They have been present in the South Island near Oamaru for many years, but have also been found in Nelson, Marlborough and Canterbury during recent surveys by the New Zealand Department of Conservation. A golden variety of tench, which is bright yellow-orange, is thought to be present in some small lakes and ponds near Auckland. This variety of tench was illegally imported about 1980.

[edit] Ornamental use

Traditionally kept in ponds, tench are now sometimes kept in large aquaria as well. They tolerate a wide range of temperatures from near 0°C (32°F) to 30°C (86°F). Until the mid-1990s, only two colour varieties were available: the greenish wild type and the golden variety. Since then, other colour varieties have been developed, including a red (or deep orange) variety and a red-and-white variety.<ref>Dawes 2001, pp. 186-187</ref>

[edit] Notes

[edit] References

This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.
NIWA June 2006
"Tinca tinca". FishBase. Ed. Ranier Froese and Daniel Pauly. May 2006 version. N.p.: FishBase, 2006.
Dawes, John (2001). Complete Encyclopedia of the Freshwater Aquarium. New York: Firefly Books Ltd. ISBN 1-55297-544-4.ca:Tenca