Northern pike (Esox lucius)

Scientific name: Esox lucius Linnaeus, 1758

The Northern pike (Esox lucius) is a freshwater fish of the family Esocidae. In the aquarium it needs water at 10–28°C (50–82°F).

Northern pike care at a glance

Temperature: 10–28°C (50–82°F)

Biology

Occurs in clear vegetated lakes, quiet pools and backwaters of creeks and small to large rivers. 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. Cannibalism is common. In arctic lakes, it is sometimes the only species present in a given water body. In such cases, juveniles feed on invertebrates and terrestrial vertebrates; large individuals are mainly cannibals. Cannibalistic as juveniles. Feces of pike are avoided by other fish because they contain alarm pheromones. Deposits feces at specific locations, distant from its foraging area. Eggs and young are preyed upon by fishes, aquatic insect larvae, birds, and aquatic mammals. Does not generally undertake long migrations

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name: Esox lucius
Family: Esocidae (Pikes)
Order: Esociformes (Pikes and Mudminnows)
Class: Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length: 137
Common length: 55
Depth range: 0–30 m (0–98 ft)
Environment: Freshwater; brackish; demersal; potamodromous; depth range 0 - 30 m, usually 1 - 5 m
Climate: Subtropical
Distribution: 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: Caspian, Black, Baltic, White, Barents, Arctic, North and Aral Seas and Atlantic basins, southwest to Adour drainage; Mediterranean basin in Rh?ne drainage and northern Italy. Widely distributed in central Asia and Siberia easward to Anadyr drainage (Bering Sea basin). Historically absent from Iberian Peninsula, Mediterranean France, central Italy, southern and western Greece, eastern Adriatic basin, Iceland, western Norway and northern Scotland. Widely introduced and translocated throughout Europe. Several countries report adverse ecological impact after introduction.
Conservation status (IUCN): Least Concern (LC)
Threat to humans: Potential pest
Uses: Fisheries: highly commercial; aquaculture: commercial; gamefish: yes; aquarium: public aquariums
Resilience: Low, minimum population doubling time 4.5 - 14 years (K=0.12-0.23; tm=1-4; tmax=30; Fec=2,000-600,000)