Species Information

Tench Tench
J.E. Marsden
Tench
J.E. Marsden
Tench
Tinca tinca

  Click here for information at USGS!

  Click here for a quick guide for this species. PDF format!

Similar Species

 

  • Carp

History
  • First introduced to Seattle and Spokane County, Washington prior to 1900

Characteristics
  • Range from 8-25 inches long (20-64 cm)
  • Resembles carp but has smaller scales
  • Flat stocky body covered with numerous deeply embedded scales which are smaller than pupil of eye
  • Covered in thick coating of mucus
  • Single pair of barbels at mouth, instead of two like the common carp
  • Fins are dark and rounded
  • Olive colored with red eyes

Habitat
  • Bottom feeder that lives in slow-moving waters rich in organic matter

Known Distribution in the Northeast
  • Richelieu and St. Lawrence Rivers; VT - Lake Champlain; NY - Lake Champlain, Great Chazy River, Long Island; CT - Housatonic Drainage; MA - Connecticut River at Silvio Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge.

Impacts
  • For the most part, unknown.  The diet consists mainly of aquatic insect larvae and molluscs (Scott and Crossman 1973).  Moyle (1976a) considered it a potential competitor for food with sport fishes and native cyprinids.  Known to stir up bottom sediments, possibly affecting water quality.

References:

http://www.lcbp.org/PDFs/LCB_AIS_Guide.pdf

http://nas.er.usgs.gov/queries/FactSheet.aspx?SpeciesID=652


Tench on boat deck
Mark Malchoff, Lake Champlain Sea Grant & LCRI
Tench
Tracy Giroux

Protecting the marine and freshwater resources of the Northeast from invasive aquatic nuisance species