Distribution:
Name:
Stizostedion, "pungent
throat"
canadense, "of Canada"
Common name
Other common names include: Eastern Sauger, Grey Pike,
Horsefish, Jack, Jackfish, Jack Salmon, Pickerel, Pickering,
Pike Perch, River Pike, Sand Pickerel, Sand Pike, Softfin
Pike, Spotted Trout, doré noir (Fr)
Taxonomy:
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata, animals with a spinal chord
Subphylum Vertebrata, animals with a backbone,
Superclass Osteichthyes, bony fishes
Class Actinopterygii, ray-finned and spiny rayed fishes
Subclass Neopterygii
Infraclass Teleostei
Superorder Acanthopterygii,
Order Perciformes, the perch-like fishes
Suborder Percoidei
Family Percidae, the true perches
Genus Stizostedion, the pike perches
Description:
A member of the perch family
and a smaller, slimmer relative of the Walleye, which
it closely resembles.
Length
Weight:
seldom exceeds 2-4 lbs.
Coloration:
back and sides olive to a dull
brown or grey, flecked with yellow
flanks marked by 3-4 dark colored blotches or "saddles",
extending down the sides
underside white; white color of belly extending to tip
of tail, but coloration does not spread out at the end
of the tail and form a definite white tip as it does
on Walleye.
2 or 3 rows of black dots on the forward dorsal fin
large black blotch at the base of the pectoral fin.
Body: long, slender,
almost cylindrical
dorsal fin of 17-19 rays
anal fin of 11-12 rays
lateral line of 85-9l scales
approximately 15 rows of scales cover the cheeks
Head:
long and cone-shaped
eyes large and glossy, their silvery iridescence the
result of a layer of light-reflecting tissue that increases
vision during twilight and night.
teeth sharp
Identification:
Very similar to Walleye in habitat,
diet and range, but smaller.
Distinguished from its larger cousin by:
the presence of rough scales on its cheeks (Walleye
is smooth cheeked).
two or three rows of distinct black spots resembling
half-moons on its spiny forward dorsal fin.
lack of a black pigment blotch near the base of the
last few spines of the first dorsal fin
lack of a white patch on lower tip of tail
Field Marks
numerous sharp teeth
saddle blotches
cylinder-like shape
Habitat:
Prefers large, turbid, shallow
lakes and large, silty, slow-flowing rivers. It has
a definite preference for larger rivers and spends much
of its life there except during the spawning season,
when it ascends tributary streams or enters backwaters
in search of suitable spawning habitat.
Prefers current and darker water than the walleye; likes
hard bottoms
Not particular about water clarity, it is often found
in muddy rivers.
Foods:
Adults
live largely on fish, crayfish, other crustaceans, and
insects.
Young feed extensively on midgefly larvae and, as they
become older, on immature and adult mayflies.
Uses:
Like
Walleye, an important commercial and game fish. The
species is harvested commercially in parts of Canada.
Not prominent as a game fish due to its small average
size.
Sauger are nearly identical to walleye in most respects.
The major difference is that the walleye attains a larger
size.
Slower growing than Walleye, most taken by anglers are
under 15" in length.
Reproduction:
Spawns
April through early May. Spawning habits very similar
to Walleye.
Eggs are deposited at random, fertilized, and left unattended.
Incubation complete in 12-18 days depending on water
temperature.
Young Sauger reach a length of about 2"-4"
the first year and mature in their third or fourth year
of life. |
