Pike (Esox Iucius)

The pike is the best known predator among the fish living in inland waters. Its head is armed with powerful, toothed jaws and it resembles a crocodile head. It likes slow-moving sections of rivers that are heavily vegetated. It is a loner primarily hunting for fish, frogs, crayfish, and small rodents and waterfowl. It waits for prey lurking motionlessly and attacking it suddenly. Since it is the easiest for it to hunt for the sick and the weak, it is often called “the sanitary officer of our waters”.

To protect the pike against overfishing sport fishing is currently being promoted consisting in catching and throwing the caught fish back into the water. This is called “catch and release”. It is also important to protect the natural habitat of the pike by improving the quality of water and conserving its spawning sites.