Behavior of pike (Esox lucius L.) >50 cm in a turbid reservoir and in a clearwater lake

Abstract

Pike from two different waters were radio-tagged and released immediately upon recovery. In Bygholm Reservoir 19 pike (52-72 cm) and in Lake Ring 15 pike (53-77 cm) were tagged in late February and early March. Bygholm (58 ha) is a shallow eutrophic reservoir and Ring (22 ha) is a natural mesotrophic lake. The positions of the tagged fish were recorded through weekly trackings and a number of 3-day tracking sessions during a 9-month period. Diel activity patterns, home range sizes and habitat utilization by pike was compared between the reservoir and the lake. The pike in the lake occupied larger areas than the pike in the reservoir and were less associated with vegetation. In both waters pike were found more often in, or close to, vegetation during summer than during winter. No difference in average movement of pike was seen between the waters, but pike were more stationary in the reservoir than in the lake. There was no difference in the level of movement between different times of the day, but the diel rhythm of the pike changed significantly over the year. There were large behavioral differences between pike in the lake and in the reservoir and even more variation between individuals within each population.