Carp
Cyprinus carpio
The carp is a large fish. It can reach lengths of up to 90 cm and live more than twenty years. The body is very robust and covered with large scales. The mouth is surrounded by two pairs of barbels. The dorsal fin is long with the first bony, serrated radius. It has a darker golden coloration on the back.
The carp is native to Eastern Europe and western Asia. It has been introduced to Catalonia for at least three centuries and is present in practically all basins.
It lives in slow-flowing rivers, lakes and reservoirs, preferably where the bottom is of silt or mud. It can live in slightly polluted waters. It breeds from May to July. The carp is omnivorous, feeds on invertebrates, plant matter, organic detritus and even small fish.
It has a strong ecological impact on the ecosystem, as their feeding behavior tends to eliminate aquatic vegetation and cloud water, promoting eutrophication.
Distribution
Tench
Tinca tinca
It can reach sizes close to 50 cm. It has a very robust body with small scales and covered with abundant mucous secretion. The mouth has two sensory barbels. The eyes are red-orange. They are greenish in color, darker on the back, with the ventral part yellowish.
Tench is distributed naturally throughout Europe and Asia, but it is introduced in Catalonia. It is currently very rare, and only forms stable populations in some ponds and small reservoirs.
It has a preference for stagnant water or very slow-flowing rivers with abundant aquatic vegetation. It can survive in waters with low oxygen concentrations. It has an omnivorous diet (invertebrates, plants, algae and debris).
Distribution
