The Amur pike (''Esox reichertii''), also known as the blackspotted pike, is a

pike Pike, Pikes or The Pike may refer to: Fish * Blue pike or blue walleye, an extinct color morph of the yellow walleye ''Sander vitreus'' * Ctenoluciidae, the "pike characins", some species of which are commonly known as pikes * ''Esox'', genus of ...

native to the

Amur River The Amur (russian: река́ Аму́р, ), or Heilong Jiang (, "Black Dragon River", ), is the world's List of longest rivers, tenth longest river, forming the border between the Russian Far East and Northeast China, Northeastern China (Inne ...

system in east

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an area ...

, as well as freshwater habitat on the island of

Sakhalin Sakhalin ( rus, Сахали́н, r=Sakhalín, p=səxɐˈlʲin; ja, 樺太 ''Karafuto''; zh, c=, p=Kùyèdǎo, s=库页岛, t=庫頁島; Manchu: ᠰᠠᡥᠠᠯᡳᠶᠠᠨ, ''Sahaliyan''; Orok: Бугата на̄, ''Bugata nā''; Nivkh: ...

. Closely related to the

northern pike The northern pike (''Esox lucius'') is a species of carnivorous fish of the genus '' Esox'' (the pikes). They are typical of brackish and fresh waters of the Northern Hemisphere (''i.e.'' holarctic in distribution). They are known simply as a ...

, it reaches a length of , a weight of , sporting a silvery body with small, black spots. Like other pike, this species is prized for sport fishing. It is not commonly found outside its native range. However, it was introduced to

Glendale Lake Prince Gallitzin State Park is a Pennsylvania state park with acreage in both Chest and White Townships in Cambria County of West Central Pennsylvania in the United States, near both Gallitzin Borough, & Gallitzin Township in the greater Alt ...

Cambria County Cambria County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 133,472. Its county seat is Ebensburg. The county was created on March 26, 1804, from parts of Bedford, Huntingdon, and Somerset Countie ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

(United States), by the

Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission is an independent state agency responsible for the regulation of all fishing and boating in the state of Pennsylvania within the United States of America. Unlike many U.S. states, Pennsylvania has a separ ...

(PFBC) in 1968. The lake is just south of the native range of the northern pike. Pure Amur pike were last spawned in 1971. All of the Pennsylvania Fish Commission's brood stock was lost in the summer of 1976. That same year the world record Amur pike was caught from the lake. The year after, the PFBC also stocked 168 northern pike x Amur pike hybrids into the lake. With a lack of success, the Amur pike program was cancelled. Glendale Lake was chosen because its outflow leads into heavily polluted waters in which fish cannot survive. Pure northern pike are found in the lake today, however it is likely no pure or hybrid Amur pike remain. Some Amur pike escaped from the Benner Spring Fish Hatchery where the original eggs and subsequent brood stock were hatched and kept. The hatchery is in the Delaware River watershed, so it's possible Amur pike could be present in that river system. However, none have ever been caught and no signs of reproduction of Amur pike in the wild in America has been documented, even in Glendale Lake.

References

Esox reichertii ZipcodeZoo

External links

Amur pike
at USGS

Esox, Amur pike Amur River Freshwater fish of Asia Fish of East Asia Fish of Russia Freshwater fish of China

Amur pike The Amur pike (''Esox reichertii''), also known as the blackspotted pike, is a pike native to the Amur River system in east Asia, as well as freshwater habitat on the island of Sakhalin. Closely related to the northern pike, it reaches a length ...

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