Chain pickerel (Esox niger)

Scientific name: Esox niger Lesueur, 1818

The Chain pickerel (Esox niger) is a freshwater fish of the family Esocidae. In the aquarium it needs water at 10–20°C (50–68°F).

Chain pickerel care at a glance

Temperature: 10–20°C (50–68°F)

Biology

Live in vegetated lakes, swamps, and backwaters and quiet pools of creeks and small to medium rivers. Also found in deep, cold water with little or no vegetation. Adults migrate to deeper water during winter undertaking shoreward spawning migrations soon after spring ice disappears. Oviparous. Juveniles tend to lie motionless near shore or burrow themselves in mud beneath debris. Larvae hide among vegetation. Oviparous, with pelagic eggs.

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name: Esox niger
Family: Esocidae (Pikes)
Order: Esociformes (Pikes and Mudminnows)
Class: Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length: 99.0
Common length: 41.9
Depth range: 6 m (20 ft)
Environment: Freshwater;; pH range: ? - 22.0 demersal; non-migratory; depth range ? - 6 m
Climate: Temperate
Distribution: North America: Nova Scotia, Canada (introduced) to southern Florida, USA; Gulf coast west to Sabine Lake drainage in Louisiana, USA; Mississippi River basin north to Kentucky and Missouri, USA. Introduced to Lakes Ontario and Erie drainages and elsewhere.
Conservation status (IUCN): Not Evaluated
Threat to humans: Harmless
Uses: Gamefish: yes
Resilience: Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (tm=1-4; tmax=9; Fec=936)

Sources

Taxonomy, distribution and biology data: FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds.), licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Last updated 27 September 2026