Eurasian Tench

[dinorocks]

I'm a professional geologist/senior project manager out of Buffalo and work with USACE/USEPA overseeing very large Superfund remedial activities in the Niagara Falls area, and over the last 19 years, in Northern New York on the St. Lawrence River, Grasse River, and Raquette River.

I monitor annual resident fish sampling programs which are performed to track the distribution and concentrations of PCBs in fish (full and fillet) on the St. Lawrence River; this year two Eurasian Tench were caught.  Curious to hear if anyone is aware of this invasive fish and if anyone has been tracking this potential invasion. 

Attached is one of the two fish caught yesterday at the New York State/St. Regis Mohawk Tribe border (just down stream of the Massena-Cornwall International Bridge).

Eurasian Tench – 39.4 cm total length, 996 g total weight

Eurasian Tench – 40.1 cm total length, 912 g total weight

[Culvercreek hunt club]

Never seen or heard of or about them. Any ideas on how they got here? aquarium fish?

[dinorocks]

From the Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences

"A globally invasive fish, Eurasian tench (Tinca tinca) is spreading through the St. Lawrence River and poses an imminent invasion threat to the Great Lakes. Following its illegal release into a tributary of the St. Lawrence River in 1991, tench has spread throughout the river’s main stem over the past decade, and its abundance in commercial fishing bycatch in the river has grown exponentially. The tench is a generalist benthic consumer with largely undocumented ecological impacts in North America. Reports from other invaded regions indicate that it can compete with other benthic fishes, host a diverse assemblage of parasites and pathogens, degrade water clarity in shallow lakes, limit submerged macrophyte growth, reduce gastropod populations, and promote benthic algal growth through top-down effects. Risk assessments and climate-match models indicate that the Great Lakes are vulnerable to tench invasion, and they signal the need for timely comprehensive actions, including development and implementation of monitoring and rapid-response protocols, including prevention or slowing of natural dispersal through canals."

[Culvercreek hunt club]

http://ijc.org/greatlakesconnection/en/2017/10/invasive-eurasian-tench-threatens-lake-ontario/

 

[LET EM GROW]

Hope these fish as well as other invasive can be controlled. That would be a shame.

[turkeyfeathers]

Those Asian jumping carp are what I thought these were at first. My understanding is they’re making their way here steadily too.    Gobies sure  have become abundant up there and Lake Erie over the years.  Glad the bass like to eat those invasive things.  

[dinorocks]

Just heard back from my English friends (president and tresurer of CAG - Carp Anglers Group)...here is what they said:

"According to the USGS there have a been a few occasional reports of tench in the St Larry over the past decade.

 

While they are not native they are considered exotic rather than invasive. They are very unlikely to be of any real concern to the balance of the St Larry environment. 

 

A great sport fish in Europe!

Cheers, Iain"

 

and...

 

"This is actually very nice to see. Tench are very rare in the US (while somewhat common in Europe), and it's a cool looking fish. 

 

I remember catching a big one when I was a kid in France, this was quite something. 

 

Iain knows this better than me, but I don't believe they reproduce very fast, so no worry about 'invasiveness'... On the contrary, Dino and his colleagues should celebrate the diversity of the St Lawrence... ;-)  Jerome"

[airedale]

Looks like offspring from a Carp that got romantically involved with a Smallmouth Bass.

Al

[The_Real_TCIII]

Looks like offspring from a Carp that got romantically involved with a Smallmouth Bass.
Al

With a sprinkling of bullhead


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[Culvercreek hunt club]

4 hours ago, dinorocks said:

Just heard back from my English friends (president and tresurer of CAG - Carp Anglers Group)...here is what they said:

"According to the USGS there have a been a few occasional reports of tench in the St Larry over the past decade.

 

While they are not native they are considered exotic rather than invasive. They are very unlikely to be of any real concern to the balance of the St Larry environment. 

 

A great sport fish in Europe!

Cheers, Iain"

 

and...

 

"This is actually very nice to see. Tench are very rare in the US (while somewhat common in Europe), and it's a cool looking fish. 

 

I remember catching a big one when I was a kid in France, this was quite something. 

 

Iain knows this better than me, but I don't believe they reproduce very fast, so no worry about 'invasiveness'... On the contrary, Dino and his colleagues should celebrate the diversity of the St Lawrence... ;-)  Jerome"

The article I read said 300,000 eggs per fish per year.  That sounds like it could grow fast to me. 

[johnplav]

A bullhead/smallmouth/carp should fight pretty good... but how does it taste?? 

[Culvercreek hunt club]

30 minutes ago, johnplav said:

A bullhead/smallmouth/carp should fight pretty good... but how does it taste?? 

Tastes like chicken...lol