Esox lucius Linnaeus, 1758

Northern pike

Catalog of Fishes (gen., sp.) | ITIS | CoL

Classification	Actinopterygii \| Esociformes \| Esocidae
Synonyms	Lucius lucius, Esox boreus, Esox estor, ... more
Common names	Brochet du nord, Lucio, Great northern pickerel, ... more

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Main reference

Crossman, E.J. 1996. (Ref. 26373)
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Size / Weight / Age

Max length : 137 cm FL male/unsexed; (Ref. 40637); 150 cm TL (female); common length : 40.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 556); common length :55 cm TL (female); max. published weight: 28.4 kg (Ref. 40637); max. published weight: 35 kg; max. reported age: 30 years (Ref. 556)

Environment

Demersal; potamodromous; freshwater; brackish; depth range 0 - 30 m (Ref. 1998), usually 1 - 5 m (Ref. 1998)

Climate / Range

Subtropical; 10°C - 28°C (Ref. 12741); 74°N - 36°N, 167°W - 180°E

Circumpolar in fresh water. North America: Atlantic, Arctic, Pacific, Great Lakes and Mississippi River basins from Labrador to Alaska and south to Pennsylvania, Missouri and Nebraska, USA. Eurasia: France to eastern Siberia, south to northern Italy. Absent from northern Scotland. Introduced into other countries. Several countries report adverse ecological impact after introduction.
Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Introductions

Short description

Dorsal spines (total): 6 - 8; Dorsal soft rays (total): 17 - 25; Anal spines: 4 - 7; Anal soft rays: 10 - 22; Vertebrae: 57 - 65. Distinguished by its long, flat, 'duck-bill' snout; its large mouth with many large, sharp teeth; and the rearward position of its dorsal and anal fins (Ref. 27547). Gill rakers present only as patches of sharp teeth on gill arches; lateral line notched posteriorly (Ref. 27547). Dorsal located far to the rear; anal located under and arising a little behind dorsal; pectorals low on body, base under opercle; pelvic fins low on body; paired fins rounded, paddle-shaped (Ref. 27547). Caudal fin with 19 rays (Ref. 2196).

Occurs in clear vegetated lakes, quiet pools and backwaters of creeks and small to large rivers (Ref. 5723). Usually solitary and highly territorial. Enters brackish water in the Baltic. Adults feed mainly on fishes, but at times feed heavily on frogs and crayfish (Ref. 27547). Cannibalistic as juveniles (Ref. 30578). Eggs and young are preyed upon by fishes, aquatic insect larvae, birds, and aquatic mammals (Ref. 1998). Does not generally undertake long migrations, but a few may move considerable distances (Ref. 27547). Oviparous (Ref. 205). This fish can be heavily infested with parasites, including the broad tapeworm which, if not killed by thorough cooking, can infect human; is used as an intermediate host by a cestode parasite which results to large losses in usable catches of lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) in some areas; also suffers from a trematode which causes unsightly cysts on the skin (Ref. 9988). Excellent food fish; utilized fresh and frozen; eaten pan-fried, broiled, and baked (Ref. 9988). Valuable game fish (Ref. 5723). In spite of numerous attempts to culture this species, it was never entirely domesticated and does not accept artificial food (Ref. 30578).


IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 57073)	Threat to humans
Least Concern (LC)	Potential pest

Human uses
Fisheries: highly commercial; aquaculture: commercial; gamefish: yes; aquarium: public aquariums


More information
Countries FAO areas Ecosystems Occurrences Introductions Ecology Diet Food items Food consumption Ration	Common names Synonyms Metabolism Predators Ecotoxicology Reproduction Maturity Spawning Eggs Egg development	Age/Size Growth Length-weight Length-length Length-frequencies Morphometrics Morphology Larvae Larval dynamics Recruitment	Other references Biblio Aquaculture Aquaculture profile Strains Genetics Allele frequencies Heritability Diseases Processing	Collaborators Pictures Stamps Sounds Ciguatera Speed Swim. type Gill area Otoliths Brains Vision

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Internet sources

Estimation of some characteristics with mathematical models

Resilience (Ref. 69278)

Low, minimum population doubling time 4.5 - 14 years (K=0.12-0.23; tm=1-4; tmax=30; Fec=2,000-600,000)


Vulnerability (Ref. 59153)	Price category (Ref. 80766)
High to very high vulnerability (69 of 100)	Not marketed/unknown

Entered by Luna, Susan M.

Modified by Ortañez, Auda Kareen

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Page last modified by : elaxamana, 15 July 2009

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