Tench

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Name variations

 * Tinca

About Tench
Tench is a fish related to the carp that is found native in Italian freshwater lakes, ponds, and rivers. Like the carp, tench will have a muddy taste unless caught in clear water. It is not very popular, and it is generally fried, baked, or cured when it is used. When cured, it is generally done so in a sweet and sour marinade.

Also named Tinca Tinca the tench is member of Cyprinidae family. The Tench can be found in the majority still waters, canals and even rivers and can manage to survive in poorly oxygenated conditions where other fish would not. It is a bottom dwelling fish feeding on crustaceans, larvae and bloodworms and is generally found in small shoals. A feeding fish frequently releases a stream of tiny bubbles that can be seen on the surface. The Tench is a strongly built fish with small scales entrenched in its olive green body. Its eyes are small and it has two barbules, one either side of its mouth. The female of the species has larger ventral fins to that of the male. Color variations of the Tench can often be found in ponds, usually gold in color and with a variety of markings, where they have been stocked for ornamental purposes. It has a short, sturdy thick-set body with a layer of silky smooth slime; the tiny scales are deeply embedded in the skin. It has a short pair of barbules on the yellowish-orange upper lip. The dorsal fin is high and convex; the caudal fin is wide and squares, rather like a paint brush. Pectoral and pelvic fins are thick and strong, in the mature male; pelvic fins are almost joined together and cover the vent.