Home/Species/ Tench

Tinca tinca

(Linnaeus, 1758)

Tench

G5Secure Found in 3 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →

G5SecureGlobal Rank

Least concernIUCN

Identity

Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.102613

Element CodeAFCJB43010

Record TypeSPECIES

ClassificationSpecies

Classification StatusStandard

Name CategoryVertebrate Animal

IUCNLeast concern

Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations

KingdomAnimalia

PhylumCraniata

ClassActinopterygii

OrderCypriniformes

FamilyTincidae

GenusTinca

Concept Reference

Robins, C.R., R.M. Bailey, C.E. Bond, J.R. Brooker, E.A. Lachner, R.N. Lea, and W.B. Scott. 1991. Common and scientific names of fishes from the United States and Canada. American Fisheries Society, Special Publication 20. 183 pp.

Conservation Status

Review Date1996-09-17

Change Date1996-09-17

Range Extent Comments

Native to Eurasia, east to Ob and Yenisei basins and Lake Baikal (Lee et al. 1980). Established in British Columbia, Washington, California, Idaho, Colorado, and Connecticut; introduced, but not known to be presently established, in Alberta, Arizona, Maryland, Missouri, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, and Virginia (Robins et al. 1991). Lee et al. (1980) mentioned also Delaware as an area where a population possibly may be established. Distributed to 36 states by U.S. Fish Commission in 1886-1896; introduced privately in California; spread to British Columbia from Washington via Columbia River (Lee et al. 1980).

Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Warm, quiet waters; farm ponds, oxbow lakes, sloughs, shallow portions of lakes and ponds, backwaters and other slow-moving areas of small to large rivers. Capable of living in poorly oxygenated water. May congregate in summer in cooler waters: deep holes and shady locations. Spawns usually in weedy shallows where the adhesive eggs stick to aquatic plants.

Ecology

Generally a slow-moving, sluggish fish. Young trench are preyed upon by predatory fishes. Usually solitary except in summer.

Reproduction

In Europe spawning occurs from May-August; in eastern U.S., spawns from late May through the third week in June. Females lay about 500,000 eggs per kg of body weight. Eggs hatch in 6-8 days (Moyle 1976). Sexually mature in 3rd or 4th year. May live up to 20-30 years.

Other Nations (2)

CanadaNNA

Province	Rank	Native
British Columbia	SNA	No
Quebec	SNA	No

United StatesNNA

Province	Rank	Native
Colorado	SNA	No
Washington	SNA	No
Idaho	SNA	No
Vermont	SNA	No
New Mexico	SNA	No
California	SNA	No
Nevada	SNA	No
Arizona	SNA	No
Oregon	SNA	No
New York	SNA	No
Delaware	SNA	No
Virginia	SNA	No

Roadless Areas (3)

Montana (1)

Area	Forest	Acres
Scotchman Peaks (MT)	Kootenai National Forest	53,909

Washington (2)

Area	Forest	Acres
Grassy Top	Colville National Forest	10,302
Salmo - Priest B	Colville National Forest	11,869

References (11)

Lee, D. S., C. R. Gilbert, C. H. Hocutt, R. E. Jenkins, D. E. McAllister, and J. R. Stauffer, Jr. 1980. Atlas of North American freshwater fishes. North Carolina State Museum of Natural History, Raleigh, North Carolina. i-x + 854 pp.
Moyle, P. B. 1976a. Inland fishes of California. University of California Press, Berkeley, California. 405 pp.
Moyle, P. B. 2002. Inland fishes of California. Revised and expanded. University of California Press, Berkeley. xv + 502 pp.
Nelson, J. S., E. J. Crossman, H. Espinosa-Perez, L. T. Findley, C. R. Gilbert, R. N. Lea, and J. D. Williams. 2004. Common and scientific names of fishes from the United States, Canada, and Mexico. American Fisheries Society, Special Publication 29, Bethesda, Maryland. 386 pp.
Page, L. M., and B. M. Burr. 1991. A field guide to freshwater fishes: North America north of Mexico. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, Massachusetts. 432 pp.
Page, L. M., and B. M. Burr. 2011. Peterson field guide to freshwater fishes of North America north of Mexico. Second edition. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Boston. xix + 663 pp.
Page, L. M., H. Espinosa-Pérez, L. T. Findley, C. R. Gilbert, R. N. Lea, N. E. Mandrak, R. L. Mayden, and J. S. Nelson. 2013. Common and scientific names of fishes from the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Seventh edition. American Fisheries Society, Special Publication 34, Bethesda, Maryland.
Page, L. M., K. E. Bemis, T. E. Dowling, H.S. Espinosa-Pérez, L.T. Findley, C. R. Gilbert, K. E. Hartel, R. N. Lea, N. E. Mandrak, M. A. Neigbors, J. J. Schmitter-Soto, and H. J. Walker, Jr. 2023. Common and scientific names of fishes from the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Eighth edition. American Fisheries Society (AFS), Special Publication 37, Bethesda, Maryland, 439 pp.
Robins, C.R., R.M. Bailey, C.E. Bond, J.R. Brooker, E.A. Lachner, R.N. Lea, and W.B. Scott. 1991. Common and scientific names of fishes from the United States and Canada. American Fisheries Society, Special Publication 20. 183 pp.
Scott, W. B., and E. J. Crossman. 1973. Freshwater fishes of Canada. Fisheries Research Board of Canada, Bulletin 184. 966 pp.
Wydoski, R. S., and R. R. Whitney. 1979. Inland fishes of Washington. The University of Washington Press, Seattle. 220 pp.