Tainha (Mugil corrugatus)

A fish of the Mugilidae family, now rare in the seas near the coast of Madeira, due to the use of explosive bombs to catch it. 'The rational fishing of tainha,' says Mr. A. C de Noronha, 'is done by means of the trawl net, especially in the summer, when it comes to the shallow waters of the coast. It is not caught on a hook, and only by accident can it come to the line, provided that the baited hook is of small dimensions.'

Tainha is a very tasty fish, and therefore sold at a high price in the market. In addition to the species we have just referred to, there are also in Madeira the Mugil oephahus and the M. auratus, the latter known by the name of 'tainha da moda' (fashionable tainha).

Fishermen often call tainhas 'mujas' (a corruption of mugens) and also 'sea chickens,' the latter due to the fact that 'they present a true crop that resembles that of a chicken and is constituted by the cecal stomach lined internally by an excessively thick epithelium.'