The Food of Pickerel

Abstract

SIX species of are found in the majority of lakes and tributaries throughout North America. These are, according to the classification of Weed (1927): Esox americanus Gmelin, the grass pickerel; E. niger Le Sueur, the chain pickerel; E. lucius Linnaeus, the common pickerel; E. ohioensis Kirtland, Chautauqua muskalonge; E. masquinongy Mitchill, St. Lawrence muskalonge; and E. immaculatus Garrard, the Wisconsin muskalonge. The muskalonge will not be considered further in this paper. Although the term pickerel is a general one and includes the three species, Esox americanus, E. niger, and E. lucius, attention will be directed to the former two species. The is ranked as an excellent game fish by sportsmen; it affords good fishing for a large number of people throughout its range, and in actual monetary value is of appreciable economic importance. In spite of the fact that are commonly well known, few complete records of their food have been reported. It was felt desirable, therefore, to collect more data from a restricted locality on two species, Esox americanus and E. niger. Only occasional specimens of E. lucius were examined. The collection of data was begun in the fall of 1932, continued through the spring of 1933, and, occasionally, during the summers of 1934, 1935, and 1936. Much has been written concerning the food of pickerel, but a large part has appeared in popular articles or in brief accounts included in longer papers of a more general character. The voracity and omnivorous habit of this group of fishes is well brought out in a study of the literature. A variety of food, including frogs, leeches, trout, young water-fowl, and weeds is recorded by Seeley (1886) from E. lucius, while Boosey (1887) found that trout were used as food. An examination of twenty-two specimens of E. lucius by Marshall and Gilbert (1905) revealed a heavy piscine diet, consisting largely of minnows. Likewise Hankinson (1908, 1916) and Reighard (1915) found fish a common source of food. Baker (1916) found the stomach contents of E. niger composed largely of crayfishes, insect larvae, and small fishes. Pearse (1921) found E. lucius subsisting largely on a piscine diet. Forbes and Richardson (1920) examined several specimens of E. americanus and E. lucius, and found the food of the smaller ones consisted largely of tadpoles, minnows, aquatic insects and crustaceans; the larger ones, of several species of fishes, of crayfishes, mice, reptiles, and young ducks. Clemens (1924) observed fish remains, a shrew, and leeches as the stomach contents of twenty-three specimens of E. lucius. Adams and Hankinson (1928), Greeley (1930), RimskyKorsakoff (1930), Sibley and Rimskey-Korsakoff (1931), Greeley and Bishop (1932), Pate (1933) and McNamara (1937) have contributed further data to this subject. This paper attempts to: (1) present our records on the food of Connecticut and (2) summarize all available data on the food of including our own findings.