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The Nonindigenous Occurrences section of the NAS species profiles has a new structure. The section is now dynamically updated from the NAS database to ensure that it contains the most current and accurate information. Occurrences are summarized in Table 1, alphabetically by state, with years of earliest and most recent observations, and the tally and names of drainages where the species was observed. The table contains hyperlinks to collections tables of specimens based on the states, years, and drainages selected. References to specimens that were not obtained through sighting reports and personal communications are found through the hyperlink in the Table 1 caption or through the individual specimens linked in the collections tables.

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Common name: Zander

Synonyms and Other Names: Stizostedion lucioperca (Linnaeus, 1758); pikeperch, European pikeperch, sudak

Taxonomy: available through www.itis.gov

Identification: Zander has a long, slender body with two separated dorsal fins, a mouth filled with many small teeth and a few larger ones for catching prey, and large, reflective eyes (Larsen and Berg, 2011). Coloration ranges from blue-gray to green with a silver-white belly, several dark vertical bands on the body, and yellow-gray fins. The dorsal and caudal fins have rows of black spots on their membranes.

This species is similar to two related North American natives: Walleye (Sander vitreus) and Sauger (S. canadensis). These species can be distinguished by the following combination of characters (adapted from Scott and Crossman 1973; Kottelat and Freyhof 2007; Page and Burr 2011):

	Dorsal fin rays	Anal fin rays	Lateral line scales	Maxillary length	White tip on anal fin and lower caudal lobe	Dorsal coloration	Dorsal fin membrane	Black blotch at posterior base of 1st dorsal fin
S. lucioperca	18-22	10-14	80-97	extends past the posterior edge of eye	absent	8-12 thin, dark vertical bars extending on to the side	Clear with numerous spots	absent
S. canadense	17-19	11-12	82-100	extends to posterior edge of pupil	absent	5-12 dark saddles, extending on side as short bars	Clear with numerous black half-moons	absent
S. vitreus	19-22	12-14	83-104	extends to posterior edge of eye	present	3-4 dusky brown saddles, extending on side as broad bars	Dusky with no definite spots	present

 

Size: To 100 cm standard length (Robins et al. 1991; Kottelat and Freyhof 2008).

Native Range: Continental Europe to western Siberia (Berg 1949; Robins et al. 1991).

Alaska	Hawaii	Puerto Rico & Virgin Islands	Guam Saipan

Hydrologic Unit Codes (HUCs) Explained
Interactive maps: Point Distribution Maps

Ecology: Zander lives in freshwater and brackish water with salinities <12 ppm (Abdolmalaki and Psuty 2007) and inhabits water with temperatures from <4–30 °C (Çelik et al. 2005). Zander prefer deep, calm, temperate waters and are found in both clear and turbid waters. Generally inhabits productive eutrophic waters in Europe (Kangur et al. 2007). This species can tolerate salinities 29–32 ppt after a gradual increase over six hours (Brown et al. 2001). Sander lucioperca eggs can survive salinities <5 ppm (Gröger et al. 2007). This species is abundant in Egirdir Lake (Turkey), which freezes over in January, and has water temperatures 4–5 °C in December and February (Çelik et al. 2005). This species also inhabits Estonian lakes that are frozen from November through April, and which may have an oxygen deficit under the ice (Kangur et al. 2007).

Adult diet primarily includes arthropods (including isopods and insects) and fish (including cyprinids, percids, and salmonids) (Argillier et al. 2012), and zooplankton when young (Gröger et al. 2007). This species has an adaptive diet and can alter prey selectivity with changing availability (Kangur et al. 2007). Zander can shift to a planktivore diet during their first year if fish prey are not available, indicating that they are able to adopt an optimal foraging strategy (Persson and Brönmark 2008).

This species lays between 150 and 400 eggs (Lappalainen et al. 2003), with greater fecundity than Walleye (Smith et al. 1998). European percids have total fecundity of 3000-1,185,000, and the maximum total fecundity of S. lucioperca recorded as 2,500,000 (Collette et al. 1977). This species is a nest guarder.

Means of Introduction: Stocked for sport fishing.

Status: Although it was thought that Zander stocked into a North Dakota lake did not survive (e.g., Anderson 1992), the capture of a fish in August 1999, and another 2+ year old fish in 2000 shows that at least some survived and reproduced. Five young-of-the-year fish were collected in 2005. As of 2009, the state reports that they are established in Spiritwood Lake. The North Dakota Game and Fish Department (NDGFD) reports capture of yearlings and 2-year olds, although they same the population is very small. Genetic sampling of fish has found that all are pure Zander, there has been no hybridization. Spiritwood Lake is normally a closed basin, however it was connected to the James River due to flooding in 1998–2001. Sampling by NDGFD did not find any evidence that zander escaped the lake during the flood (L. Schlueter, personal communication).

Failed in New York (Courtenay et al. 1986).

Impact of Introduction: Unknown. Concern exists that Zander and Walleye could hybridize. So far there has been no evidence of that happening (L. Schlueter, personal communication). There has been no discernible impact on native Walleye or Yellow Perch populations (L. Schlueter, personal communication).

As Zander feeds heavily on smaller fish, there is concern among European fish resource managers that introduced S. lucioperca may cause a collapse in resident prey fish stocks (Hickley 1986).

Remarks: Courtenay et al. (1986) listed this species from New York, but the record was based on an unconfirmed report. The history of its introduction into North Dakota is not well documented in the scientific literature. Apparently the North Dakota Game and Fish Department had been interested in zander as a sport fish for many years and that agency chose Spiritwood Lake as the site of an experimental release because the water body was completely enclosed (Anderson 1992). In 1987, prior to the lake introduction, the state had hatched eggs imported from Holland, but the resulting fry were destroyed for fear that they carried pike fry rhobdo virus (Anonymous 1987a; Lohman 1989). Those wanting to introduce zander thought that it would be a boon to the fisheries of North America (e.g., Anderson 1992), whereas others expressed strong reservations (e.g., Wright 1992). Some fisheries personnel in states surrounding North Dakota and nearby Canadian provinces expressed doubts concerning the species' introduction, particularly because its effect on native species was unknown and because of its potential to spread (e.g., Wingate 1992). The zander has been widely introduced into western Europe and the species was illegally introduced into portions of England. According to Hickley (1986), the success of introduced populations seemed to be limited by the availability of the species' preferred habitat, characterized as "eutrophic, turbid, well oxygenated and of low mean depth, and, if a river, slow-flowing rather than turbulent." Zander feed heavily on prey of small size. Because of this, there is concern among European fish resource managers that introduced zander may cause a collapse in resident prey fish stocks (Hickley 1986 and references therein). 

Spiritwood Lake was been connected to the James River for three years (1998-2001) because of high water conditions. There is concern that zander may have escaped into the James River, althouth sampling efforts have found no evidence (L. Schlueter, personal communication).

Zander was added to the Injurious Wildlife List by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 2016 (50 CFR § 16.13; Dokken 2016).

References: (click for full references)

Abdolmalaki, S., and I. Psuty. 2007. The effects of stock enhancement of Pikeperch (Sander lucioperca) in Iranian coastal waters of the Caspian Sea. ICES Journal of Marine Science: Journal du Conseil 64:973-980.

Anderson, R.O. 1992. A case for zander: Fish for the future? Pages 22-32 in In-Fisherman Wallye Guide for 1992. In-Fisherman Magazine, Brainerd, MN

Argillier, C., M. Barral, and P. Irz. 2012. Growth and diet of the pikeperch Sander lucioperca (L.) in two French reservoirs. Archives of Polish Fisheries 20:191-200. https://doi.org/10.2478/v10086-012-0024-0

Berg, L.S. 1948-1949. Freshwater fishes of the U.S.S.R. and adjacent countries, 4th edition. Three volumes. Translated from Russian, 1962-1965, for the Smithsonian Institution and the National Science Foundation, by Israel Program for Scientific Translations, Jerusalem, Israel.

Britton, J.R., R.E. Gozlan, and G.H. Copp. 2011. Managing non-native fish in the environment. Fish and Fisheries, 12(3):256-274. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1111/(ISSN)1467-2979

Brown, J. A., W.M. Moore, and E.S. Quabius. 2001. Physiological effects of saline waters on Zander. Journal of Fish Biology 59:1544-1555.

Çelik, M., A. Diler, and A. Küçükgülmez. 2005. A comparison of the proximate compositions and fatty acid profiles of Zander (Sander lucioperca) from two different regions and climatic conditions. Food Chemistry 92:637-641.

Courtenay, W.R., Jr., D.A. Hensley, J.N. Taylor, and J.A. McCann. 1986. Distribution of exotic fishes in North America. Pages 675-698 in Hocutt, C.H., and E.O. Wiley, eds. The zoogeography of North American freshwater fishes. John Wiley and Sons. New York, NY.

Craig, J.F. 2000. Percid fishes: systematics, ecology, and exploitation. Blackwell Science Ltd, Oxford, England.

Dokken, B. 2004. Angler's catch likely a rare zander. Grand Forks Herald. Grand Forks, ND. http://www.grandforks.com/mld/grandforks/news/9140277.htm. Created on 07/13/2004. Accessed on 07/13/2004.

Dokken, B. 2016. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service list zander as injurious species. Grand Forks Herald. Grand Forks, ND. http://www.grandforksherald.com/outdoors/4127188-us-fish-and-wildlife-service-list-zander-injurious-species. Created on 10/02/2016. Accessed on 10/11/2017.

Gerasimov, Y.V., M.N. Ivanova, and A.N. Svirskaya. 2018. Long-term changes in the importance of aboriginal and invasive fish species for feeding of predatory fish of the Rybinsk Reservoir. Journal of Ichthyology 58(5):601-616. https://doi.org/10.1134/s0032945218040045

Godard, M., and G. Copp. 2011. Sander lucioperca (pike-perch), CABI Compendium. https://doi.org/10.1079/cabicompendium.65338. Created on 12/07/2011.

Gröger, J. P., H. Winkler, and R. A. Rountree. 2007. Population dynamics of Pikeperch (Sander lucioperca) and its linkage to fishery driven and climatic influences in a southern Baltic lagoon of the Darss-Zingst Bodden Chain. Fisheries Research 84:189-201.

Hansson, S., F. Arrhenius, and S. Nellbring. 1997. Benefits from fish stocking—experiences from stocking young-of-the-year Pikeperch, Stizostedion lucioperca L. to a bay in the Baltic Sea. Fisheries Research 32:123-132.

Hickley, P. 1986. Invasion by zander and the management of fish stocks. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London: Biological Sciences 314:571-582. http://www.jstor.org/stable/2396405.

Howells, R. 1992. Guide to identification of harmful and potentially harmful fishes, shellfishes, and aquatic plants prohibited in Texas. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Austin, TX.

Kangur, P., A. Kangur, and K. Kangur. 2007. Dietary importance of various prey fishes for pikeperch Sander lucioperca (L.) in large shallow Lake Võrtsjärv (Estonia). Proceedings of the Estonian Academy of Sciences. Biology, Ecology 56(2):154-167. https://kirj.ee/public/Ecology/2007/issue_2/bio-2007-2-6.pdf

Kottelat, M., and J. Freyhof. 2007. Handbook of European freshwater fishes. Publications Kottelat, Cornol, Switzerland.

Linfield, R.S.J. 1984. The impact of zander (Stizostedion lucioperca (L.)) in the United Kingdom and the future management of the affected fisheries in the Anglian region. The Food and Agriculture Organization, Rome, Italy. https://www.fao.org/4/ae997b/AE997B09.htm

Lohman, J. 1989. Biologists introduce zander into North America. The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead. Fargo, ND. July 22:A1, 4.

Maitland, P.S. 1977. The Hamlyn guide to freshwater fishes of Britain and Europe. Hamlyn Publishing Group Limited, New York, NY.

Page, L.M., and B.M. Burr. 2011. Peterson field guide to freshwater fishes of North America north of Mexico. 2nd edition. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Boston, MA.

Persson, A., and C. Brönmark. 2008. Pikeperch Sander lucioperca trapped between niches: foraging performance and prey selection in a piscivore on a planktivore diet. Journal of Fish Biology 73:793-808. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1095-8649.2008.01956.x

Robins, C.R., R.M. Bailey, C.E. Bond, J.R. Brooker, E.A. Lachner, R. Lea, and W.B. Scott. 1991. World fishes important to North Americans exclusive of species from continental waters of the Unites States. American Fisheries Society Special Publication 21. American Fisheries Society, Bethesda, MD.

Scott, W.B., and E.J. Crossman. 1973. Freshwater fishes of Canada. Bulletin 184. Fisheries Research Board of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. https://publications.gc.ca/site/eng/9.870340/publication.html

Smith, P.A., R.T. Leah, and J.W. Eaton. 1996. Removal of Pikeperch (Stizostedion lucioperca) from a British Canal as a management technique to reduce impact on prey fish populations. Annales Zoologici Fennici 33:537-545. https://www.jstor.org/stable/23736099

Wheeler, A. 1969. The Fishes of the British Isles and Northwest Europe. Michigan State University Press, East Lansing, MI.

Wheeler, A. 1978. Key to the fishes of northern Europe. Frederick Warne Ltd, London, England.

Wingate, P.J. 1992. Zander–evaluate carefully before introducing. Page 32 in In-Fisherman Wallye Guide for 1992. In-Fisherman Magazine, Brainerd, MN

Other Resources:
US Fish and Wildlife Service Ecological Risk Screening Summary for Sander lucioperca

Author: Fuller, P., and Neilson, M.E.

Peer Review Date: 3/17/2009

This information is preliminary or provisional and is subject to revision. It is being provided to meet the need for timely best science. The information has not received final approval by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and is provided on the condition that neither the USGS nor the U.S. Government shall be held liable for any damages resulting from the authorized or unauthorized use of the information.