Pike-perch (Sander lucioperca) is a freshwater, brackish species recorded in the United States. It is found at depths of 2–30 m.
Scientific name: Sander lucioperca · Water: Freshwater, Brackish
Size: up to 100 cm
The pike-perch is a percid whose adults inhabit large, turbid rivers and eutrophic lakes as well as brackish coastal lakes and estuaries, recorded from 2 to 30 m. They feed mainly on gregarious, pelagic fishes, and they attain first sexual maturity at three to ten years of age, usually at four. They undertake short spawning migrations and spawn in pairs at dawn or at night, and individuals foraging in brackish water move to freshwater habitats; migrations of up to 250 km have been recorded and homing is well developed, so that even nearby populations may be relatively isolated. Its flesh is succulent and it is popular with sport fishers. Its range is Europe and Asia, in the Caspian, Baltic, Black and Aral Sea basins and the Elbe and Maritza drainages, north to about 65 degrees north in Finland, and it has been introduced widely, with several countries reporting adverse ecological impact after the introduction. Maximum length is about 100 cm standard length, commonly about 50 cm total length, and it can live 17 years, maturing at about 37.2 cm. It is a commercial species, a commercial aquaculture species, a gamefish and a public aquarium fish. Fishing vulnerability is high at 62 of 100 and resilience low. IUCN lists it as least concern.
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