Esox Dispar

''Esox'' is a genus of freshwater fish commonly known as pike or pickerel. It is the type genus of the family Esocidae. The type species of the genus is ''Esox lucius'', the northern pike.

''Esox'' have a fossil record extending back to the Paleocene. Modern large pike species are native to the Palearctic and Nearctic realms, ranging across Northern America and from Western Europe to Siberia in North Asia.

Pike have the elongated, torpedo-like shape typical of predatory fishes, with sharply pointed heads and sharp teeth. Their coloration is typically grey-green with a mottled or spotted appearance with stripes along their backs, providing camouflage among underwater weeds, and each individual pike marking patterns are unique like fingerprints. Pikes can grow to a maximum recorded length of , reaching a maximum recorded weight of 67lb 8oz.

Etymology

The generic name ''Esox'' (pike fish) derives from the Greek ἴσοξ (''ee-soks'', a large fish) and appears to be cognate with Celtic, Welsh ''eog'' and Irish Gaelic ''iasc'' (fish), as well as alpine Gaulic ''*esosk'' which is consistent with the original indoeuropean root for the common word for fish, ''*pei(k)sk''. Pliny uses the Latin form ''Esox'' in reference to a large fish in the Rhine normally identified with Salmonidae (''lax'' or salmon). Carolus Linnæus attributes ''Esox'' to the pike fish which is of similar form and appearance but taxonomically different from the salmon forms, whereas the first mention of ''Esox'' as a marine animal appears in the writings of Hesychius.

The English common name "pike" is an apparent shortening of "pike-fish", in reference to its pointed head, as the Old English word ''píc'' originally referring to a pickaxe. The plural of pike is also pike.

A Northern English and Lowland Scots name for the pike, ''ged'', similarly derives from Old Norse ''gaddr'' (spike) (cf. the modern Swedish name for the pike, ''gädda'', the Danish "gedde", the Norwegian "gjedde" and Scottish Gaelic: ''geadais''). The Dutch name for the pike (''snoek'') has been given to a wide variety of fish reminding sailors of the pike (see snoek, snook).

The English "pike" originally referred specifically to the adult fish, the diminutive form "pickerel" (now used to name some of the smaller pike species, e.g. '' E. americanus'' and '' E. niger'') referring to the young. The walleye (''Sander vitreus'') is sometimes called a pickerel or a walleyed pike, but it is unrelated to the pike, being a member of the perch family (Percidae). Pike are not to be confused with the unrelated pikeminnows of genus ''Ptychocheilus'' (family Cyprinidae) or pikeperch (''Sander lucioperca'') which is more akin to walleye than to pike. Pike are also called "jackfish" in North America and informally "slough shark" in Western Canada.

Species

Currently, seven recognized species are placed in this genus, within two subgenera:

Hybrids between ''Esox masquinongy'' and ''Esox lucius'' are well-known and referred to as the tiger muskellunge.

Fossil species

The following fossil species are known:''''

* †''Esox aralensis'' Sytchevskaya, 1974 - Middle Oligocene of Kazakhstan
* †''Esox borealis'' Sytchevskaya, 1976 - Late Oligocene of Omsk Oblast, Russia
* †''Esox columbianus'' Smith, Morgan & Gustafson, 2000 - Pliocene, US (Ringold Formation)
* †''Esox dispar'' Sytchevskaya, 1976 - Late Oligocene of Omsk Oblast, Russia
* †'' Esox kronneri'' Grande, 1999 - Early Eocene of Wyoming, US (Green River Formation)''''
* †''Esox lepidotus'' Agassiz, 1844 - Late Miocene of Germany
* †''Esox longkouensis'' Chang & Zhou, 2002 - Late Paleocene/Early Eocene of Shandong, China (Huangxian Formation)
* †''Esox moldavicus'' Sytchevskaya, 1974 - Pliocene to Early Pleistocene of Ukraine & Moldova
* †''Esox papyraceus'' Troschel, 1854 - Late Oligocene of Germany
* †''Esox primaevus'' Gaudant, 1978 - Early Oligocene of France
* †'' Esox nogaicus'' Kovalchuk, Wilson & Grande, 2017 - Early Pleistocene of Ukraine
* †'' Esox sibiricus'' Sytchevskaya, 1974 - Late Miocene and early Pliocene of Ukraine, Russia (Omsk, Tuva Republic, Transbaikal), Kazakhstan & Mongolia
* †'' Esox tiemani'' Wilson, 1980 - Late Paleocene of Canada (Paskapoo Formation)
The oldest fossil species of ''Esox'' is ''Esox tiemani'', from the late Paleocene of Canada, which differs little from modern species. ''Esox kronneri'' is one of the rarest known fish from the Eocene-aged Fossil Butte '' lagerstatte'' of Wyoming, USA. ''E. kronneri'' appears to be more closely related to the North American pickerels (subgenus ''Kenoza'') than to the circumboreal "pike" (subgenus ''Esox'') lineage, suggesting these two lineages diverged by the Early Eocene. Two additional fossil species, both from the Cretaceous of Alberta, Canada, are placed in their own genera: '' Estesesox foxi''Wilson, Brinkman & Neuman, 1992 (Santonian to Campanian), and '' Oldmanesox canadensis'' (Campanian to Maastrichtian).

The alleged Late Cretaceous species "''Esox monasteriensis''" von der Marck, 1863 is thought to be an indeterminate teleost. Other fossil fish genera such as ''Enchodus'' and '' Platinx'' also had their type species be initially described under ''Esox''.''''

Diet

Pike feed on a wide range of food sources, predominantly smaller shoal fish. Pike are also cannibalistic, sometimes preying upon smaller members of their own species. This can be seen clearly in the northern pike.

They will also prey on insects and amphibians such as newts or frogs in times when their usual food is scarce, and occasionally on small mammals like moles or mice when caught water-borne. Small birds such as ducklings may become a target for hungry pike. Pike are also known to prey on swimming snakes.

They are, however, undeserving of their reputation for being overly vicious predators. There have been some incidents of pike "attacks" on people. Pike's further reputation as a pest seems to lie predominantly amongst a small handful of anglers and fishery managers who think that invasive species of
pike are a threat to native rough fish and also other sport fish.

Angling and handling methods

Effective methods for catching this hard-fighting fish include dead baits, live baits, and lure fishing. Pike can easily be damaged when handled since they are not as robust as their reputation would suggest and have a very sensitive slime coat. Since pike have numerous sharp teeth it is wise to take extreme care when unhooking them. The use of a wet leather gauntlet and surgical forceps to remove hooks is highly recommended on safety grounds.

If practicing catch and release fishing, care for the pike should be the pike angler's utmost concern. The formerly recommended practice of grasping a pike by its eye sockets (misinterpreted as "its eyes") resulted in numerous released pike that quickly died from the inability to see prey any longer. The current recommended method of grasping pike is to close the hand firmly over the gill covers, and to make the period of handling as short as possible before release. Grabbing a pike by the gill covers is not feasible when a pike is very big, but it is easy to handle a pike by inserting the fingers at the bottom of the gill opening and grabbing the lower jaw. Big pike should also be supported at the belly. When a pike is held this way it is also easier to keep the mouth open to remove a hook. Some anglers now use special grips to grab the pike's front lower jaw, which can add to the safety of an angler because of the danger imposed by the hooks of the lure or tackle and the pike's teeth. However, these can cause serious damage to a pike's lower jaw. The Pike Anglers Club was formed in 1977 to campaign for the preservation of pike and the sport of pike fishing.

Pike are susceptible to ''gut hooking'' when fished for with natural bait. Upon taking the bait, the pike will hold it for a short time in its mouth as it moves off. The pike will then, usually, turn the bait in its mouth, so that it sits in alignment with its throat to ease swallowing. It is recommended that when pike fishing the process is not allowed to go this far and a strike is recommended as soon as a bite is indicated. Otherwise, what is known as ''gut hooking'' will result, which will normally kill or seriously injure the fish. Dutch research shows that cutting the line immediately when the fish is gut hooked will still give low mortality (14%). The hooks in the gut or stomach were either encapsulated or removed from the body. Placing hooks near the rear of the bait reduces the risk of deep hooking. To minimize injury from gut hooking the hook should be taken out from the gills where you will insert your pliers or forceps. Grab as close to the base of the hook as you can and rotate the eye of the hook toward the bottom of the fish's mouth and be removed carefully as to not rehook the fish.

Other methods of catching and handling pike that are now frowned upon are the gaff and the gag. The gaff is a metal hook on the end of a pole used to hook through the fish's body in place of a more humane landing net. A gag is a device for holding open the pike's mouth whilst unhooking. These are now illegal in Scotland, as they put a huge amount of pressure on a pike's jaw, thus causing irreparable damage.

Cuisine

The taste of pike and pickerel is highly esteemed, but the "multitude of long, fine, forked bones" are problematic.Waverley Root, ''Food'', 1996, p. 353
The dish of '' quenelles de brochet'' (pike dumplings), which puts the meat through a sieve, was invented to deal with this. Indeed, Escoffier believed, falsely, that ''quenelles'' had completely displaced the whole fish from the menu.

Submarines and tanks

Two United States Navy submarines have been named ''Pike'' – SS-6 of 1903 and SS-173 of 1935 – and three – SS-22 of 1912, SS-177 of 1936, and SS-524 of 1944 – named ''Pickerel''. In addition, the Soviet submarines known to NATO as the Victor III class and Akula class are called the ''Shchuka'' (Щука, "pike") class in Russian. The Soviet Iosif Stalin tank (IS-3) was also nicknamed ''Shchuka'', in reference to its sharply pointed hull front.

Cultural significance

Mythology

Russian mythology holds that the pike is one of several forms assumed by evil water spirits called vodyanoy, and a ravenous mythical pike is traditionally blamed for decimating the fish population in the Sheksna River

In the Finnish ''Kalevala'', Väinämöinen creates a kantele (string instrument) from the jawbone of a pike.

Heraldry

In heraldry, the pike is called a lucy (English heraldry) or a ged (Scottish heraldry). It is usually blazoned either '' naiant'' (swimming), ''embowed'' (bowed) or ''hauriant'' (jumping), though pairs of lucies may appear ''addorsed'' (back to back), as in the arms of the Finnish town of Uusikaupunki (''Argent, two lucies addorsed azure'').

Literature

In George R. R. Martin's ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' series of epic fantasy novels, both the seat and the highborn bastards of the Iron Islands are named "Pyke", likely inspired by the pike fish since the islands are inhabited by Viking-like seafaring warriors who frequent pirate ships and raid the coastal regions.

References

External links

*
* ''Oxford English Dictionary,'' s.vv. "Esox", "Ged¹", and "Pike, n.⁴".

Pike in Your Waters
the Pike Anglers Club, pub 2003

Pike Preservation - Fishing Equipment
, Pike Fishing Scotland


Pike Fishing from a Float Tube
* Pike Fishing in Denmar
Coarse Fishing in Denmark
* Pike Fishing in Scotlan
Coarse Fishing in the Highlands


mentions Pike attack as a risk of open water swimming. Accessed 21 October 2007

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Fish in heraldry
Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus
Freshwater fish genera
Extant Santonian first appearances
Green River Formation