Northern pike are a popular sporting fish.
The northern pike (Esox lucius) is native to North America and Eurasia. Although the native range in the United States is restricted to certain northern states, the species is popular as a game fish and has been introduced both legally and illegally throughout the country. Northern pike require shallow waters with vegetation, like floodplains, for reproduction. They are better adapted for quiet waters than for rivers and other bodies of water with swift current.
Native Range
The native range of the northern pike includes states along several important drainage basins: the Missouri River, the upper Mississippi River north of the confluence with the Missouri River; the Ohio River and the Great Lakes, according to the U.S. Geological Survey's non-indigenous aquatic species map. The Saskatchewan River drainage basin, partly in Montana, is also part of the native range. States connected with these drainage basins are North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York and Vermont. Northern pike are also native to parts of Alaska's interior and western coast.
The East
Many eastern states have introduced northern pike populations. The states of Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey, Delaware, West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, Kentucky, Tennessee and Georgia are among these. There are some concerns about the presence of this predatory fish being introduced to lakes where it could negatively impact native species. The state of Maine encourages the harvesting of the non-native northern pike as a way of trying to reduce the population. There is no size limit or daily bag limit imposed on catches of northern pike.
The Great Plains
The northern pike has been introduced Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas. Kansas allows stocking them in large private ponds for sport fishing.
The West
Northern pike have been introduced to Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico and Utah. Introducing a predator fish like the northern pike can be harmful to the native fish species. The state of California, out of concern for its native trout species, has begun an eradication program to eliminate illegally introduced northern pike. California Department of Fish and Game used rotenone, poisonous to fish, to clear Lake Davis and restock it with native rainbow trout.
Alaska
The "Anchorage Daily News" reported in a story published July 7, 2008 that northern pike have decimated populations of salmon (Alexander creek and Alexander Lake) as well as populations of rainbow trout (Red Shirt Lake) and Arctic grayling (Cheney Lake). The Alaska Department of Fish and Game has used rotenone to kill northern pike as part of an invasive species control program.
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