Editing Zander

{{Short description|Species of fish}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Speciesbox
| fossil_range = {{fossil range|11|0|[[Late Miocene]] to recent}}
| image = Sander_lucioperca_1.jpg
| status = LC
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| status_ref = <ref name="iucn">{{cite iucn |author=Freyhof, J. |year=2024|title= ''Sander lucioperca'' |page= e.T20860A58302439 |doi= |access-date=15 December 2024}}</ref>
| taxon = Sander lucioperca
| authority = ([[Carl Linnaeus|Linnaeus]], [[10th edition of Systema Naturae|1758]])
| synonyms = {{Species list
| Perca lucioperca | Linnaeus, 1758
| Lucioperca lucioperca | (Linnaeus, 1758)
| Stizostedion lucioperca | (Linnaeus, 1758)
| Centropomus sandat | [[Bernard Germain de Lacépède|Lacépède]], 1802
| Lucioperca sandra | [[Georges Cuvier|Cuvier]], 1828
| Lucioperca linnei | [[August Wilhelm Malm|Malm]], 1877
}}
| synonyms_ref = <ref name = Fishbase>{{FishBase|Sander|lucioperca|month=December|year=2019}}</ref>
}}

The '''zander''' ('''''Sander lucioperca'''''), '''sander''' or '''pikeperch''', is a [[species]] of [[ray-finned fish]] from the [[Family (biology)|family]] [[Percidae]], which also includes [[perch]], [[Gymnocephalus|ruffe]] and [[Darter (fish)|darter]]. It is found in freshwater and brackish habitats in western [[Eurasia]]. It is a popular game fish and has been introduced to a variety of localities outside its native range. It is the type species of the genus ''Sander''.

==Taxonomy==
The zander was first formally [[Species description|described]] in 1758 as ''Perca lucioperca'' by [[Carolus Linnaeus]] in volume 1 of the tenth edition of ''[[Systema Naturae]]'' and he gave the [[Type locality (biology)|type locality]] as "European lakes".<ref name = CofFS>{{Cof record|spid=19775|title =''Perca lucioperca'' | access-date = 16 September 2020}}</ref> When [[Lorenz Oken]] (1779–1851) created the genus ''[[Sander (fish)|Sander]]'' he made ''Perca lucioperca'' its [[type species]].<ref name = CofFG>{{Cof record|genid=909|title=''Sander''|access-date=16 September 2020}}</ref> The zander is part of the European [[clade]] within the genus ''Sander'' which split from a common ancestor with the North American clade, which the [[walleye]] (''S. vitreus'') and the [[sauger]] (''S. canadensis'') belong to, around 20.8 million years ago. Within the European clade the [[Volga pikeperch]] (''S. volgaensis'') is the most basal taxon and shares features with the North American clade, such as being a broadcast spawner. In contrast in the zander and the estuarine perch (''[[Sander marinus|S. marinus]]'') the males build nests and the female spawn into these nests and the males then guard the eggs and fry. The lineage leading to the zander is thought to have diverged from the common ancestor with the Volga pikeperch circa 13.8 million years ago while the split from the estuarine perch took place around 9.1 million years ago.<ref name = S&H>{{cite book | author1 = Carol A. Stepien | author-link1=Carol Stepien|author2 = Amanda Haponski | name-list-style=amp | year = 2015 | chapter = Taxonomy, Distribution, and Evolution of the Percidae | doi = 10.1007/978-94-017-7227-3_1 | title = Biology and Culture of Percid Fishes | pages = 3–60 | editor1 =Patrick Kestemont | editor2 = Konrad Dabrowski | editor3 = Robert C. Summerfelt | publisher = Springer, Dordrecht | isbn = 978-94-017-7227-3}}</ref>

Fossil remains of ''S. lucioperca'' are known from the [[Late Miocene]] and [[Pliocene]] of Ukraine. They appear to have coexisted with the extinct pikeperches ''[[Sander svetovidovi]]'' and ''[[Leobergia]]''.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Kovalchuk |first1=Oleksandr M. |last2=Murray |first2=Alison M. |date=2016-05-03 |title=Late Miocene and Pliocene pikeperches (Teleostei, Percidae) of southeastern Europe |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02724634.2016.1100999 |journal=Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology |volume=36 |issue=3 |pages=e1100999 |doi=10.1080/02724634.2016.1100999 |bibcode=2016JVPal..36E0999K |issn=0272-4634}}</ref>

==Description==
The zander is the largest member of the Percidae and it usually has a long and muscular body which bears some resemblance to a [[Northern pike]] (''Esox lucius''), hence the alternative English common name of pikeperch.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Nolan |first1=Emma T. |last2=Britton |first2=J. Robert |last3=Curtin |first3=Susanna |title=Angler behaviors and motivations for exploiting invasive and native predatory fishes by catch-and-release: A case study on the river severn catchment, Western England |journal=Human Dimensions of Wildlife |date=3 September 2019 |volume=24 |issue=5 |pages=463–479 |doi=10.1080/10871209.2019.1628324 |bibcode=2019HDW....24..463N |s2cid=197723583 |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10871209.2019.1628324?journalCode=uhdw20 |access-date=20 February 2023 |issn=1087-1209 |archive-date=20 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230220030202/https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10871209.2019.1628324?journalCode=uhdw20 |url-status=live }}</ref> The upper part of its body is green-brown in colour and this extends onto the sides as dark vertical bars, in a pattern not dissimilar to that of the [[European perch]] (''Perca fluviatilis'') while the lower part of the body is creamy-white. Their [[caudal fin]] is dark and the [[pectoral fin|pectoral]], [[pelvic fin|pelvic]] and [[anal fin]]s are paler off-white in colour.<ref name = badangling/> The [[dorsal fin|dorsal]] and [[caudal fin]]s are marked with rows of black spots on the membranes between the spines and rays, these are largest and most obvious on the first dorsal fin.<ref name = CABI>{{cite journal | url = https://www.cabi.org/isc/datasheet/65338 | title = Sander lucioperca (pike-perch) | date = 2011 | access-date = 17 September 2020 | publisher = CABI | doi = 10.1079/cabicompendium.65338 | archive-date = 23 January 2019 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190123080645/https://www.cabi.org/isc/datasheet/65338 | url-status = live | last1 = Godard | first1 = Michael | last2 = Copp | first2 = Gordon | work = CABI Compendium | volume = CABI Compendium | doi-access = free }}</ref> The juveniles are silvery in colour, becoming darker as they age. They have powerful jaws which are armed with many sharp teeth with two long canines in the front of each jaw.<ref name = badangling>{{cite web | url = https://badangling.com/coarse-fish-species/zander/ | title = Zander | access-date = 17 September 2020 | publisher = badangling.com}}</ref> They have large bulbous eyes<ref name = Brown>{{cite web | url = https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/feb/27/specieswatch-zander-fish-look-of-dracula | title = Specieswatch: zander have a look of Dracula | author = Paul Brown |date = 27 February 2018 | access-date = 17 September 2020 | work = The Guardian}}</ref> which are opaque when the fish is living in particularly turbid conditions, an adaptation to low light. There is a single flat spine on the [[operculum (fish)|operculum]].<ref name = badangling/> Like other members of the perch family the zander has a split [[dorsal fin]] with the first dorsal fin having 13–20 spines and 18–24 soft rays, while the anal fin has 2–3 rays and 10–14 soft rays.<ref name = Fishbase/> The caudal fin is long and forked.<ref name = AT>{{cite web | url = https://www.anglingtimes.co.uk/advice/species/british-freshwater-fish/articles/zander/ | title = ZANDER | date = 1 April 2018 | access-date = 17 September 2020 | publisher = Angling Times}}</ref>

The zander has a maximum published [[fish measurement|standard length]] {{convert|100|cm|in}}, although they are more commonly found at around {{convert|50|cm|in}}.<ref name = Fishbase/> This species can reach {{convert|20|kg|abbr=on}}<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.igfa.org/BookRule2004.pdf |title=International Angling Rules" (IGFA) |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081220124559/http://www.igfa.org/BookRule2004.pdf |archive-date=December 20, 2008 |access-date=19 November 2008}}</ref> of weight, although typical catches are considerably smaller. The IGFA All-Tackle world record zander was caught in Lago Maggiore, Switzerland in June 2016 weighing {{convert|11.48|kg|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{cite web|title=IGFA World Records Database|url=http://wrec.igfa.org/WRecordsList.aspx?lc=AllTackle&cn=Zander|website=International Game Fish Association|access-date=2 October 2017}}</ref> Zander reach an average length of {{convert|40|–|80|cm|in|round=0.5|abbr=on}} with a maximum length of {{convert|120|cm|in|round=0.5|abbr=on}}.
[[File:Juvenile Zander.jpg|thumb|Juvenile Zander may have a stripe pattern]]

==Distribution==
The zander is very widely distributed across Eurasia, occurring in the	drainages of the Caspian, Baltic, Black, Aral, North and Aegean Sea basins.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Hansson |first1=Sture |last2=Arrhenius |first2=Fredrik |last3=Nellbring |first3=Sture |title=Diet and growth of pikeperch (Stizostedion lucioperca L.) in a Baltic Sea area |journal=Fisheries Research |date=1 July 1997 |volume=31 |issue=1 |pages=163–167 |doi=10.1016/S0165-7836(97)00022-2 |language=en |issn=0165-7836|doi-access=free |bibcode=1997FishR..31..163H }}</ref> The northern boundary of its distribution is in Finland. It has been introduced to Great Britain, southern Europe, and continental Europe west of the Elbe, Ebro, Tagus and Jucar drainages, as well as to Anatolia, North Africa, Siberia, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan.<ref name="iucn"/>

In the UK, zander was originally introduced in 1878 by [[Francis Russell, 9th Duke of Bedford]], into lakes on his [[Woburn Abbey]] estate and soon after that into the [[Great Ouse Relief Channel]] in [[The Fens]].<ref name = Brown/> [[British Waterways]] included zander among a "dirty dozen" non-native species most likely to harm native wildlife along rivers in Great Britain.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7559266.stm |newspaper=[[BBC News]] |title=Dirty dozen threaten waterways |date=14 August 2008 |access-date=14 August 2008 |archive-date=14 August 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080814011850/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7559266.stm |url-status=live }}</ref>

Their success in establishing themselves was owed to a number of factors, one of which is that they are particularly well adapted to life in the slow-flowing, sparsely vegetated, rather murky waters that comprise so many of the [[Tees–Exe line|British lowland]] rivers.<ref>"Foreign Fishes", The Living Countryside magazine (issue 36), p.706</ref> Zander thrive in water with rather low visibility, unlike pike, which often dominate the predator fish niche in clear water. However, zander need plenty of [[oxygen]] and soon disappear from [[eutrophic]] areas.<ref name = CABI/>

Zander were [[fish stocking|stocked]] in [[Spiritwood Lake, North Dakota]] in 1989 and have remained ever since.<ref name="Ontario-Invading-Species">{{cite web | title=Zander | website=Ontario's Invading Species Awareness Program | url=http://www.invadingspecies.com/zander/ | access-date=2020-11-23 | archive-date=2020-11-23 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201123145434/http://www.invadingspecies.com/zander/ | url-status=live }}</ref> Ecologists believe that if establishment occurs in the [[Great Lakes]] they will compete with [[game fish]] such as the closely related [[Walleye]] or the [[Yellow perch]] for [[predation|food]] and [[habitat]].<ref name="Ontario-Invading-Species" /> Therefore the [[Government of Ontario]] is preemptively treating zander as a future invasive species.<ref name="Ontario-Invading-Species" />

In the Netherlands, zander may be found (natively) in many major waterways, including the [[Waal (river)|Waal]], [[Hollands Diep]], and other [[distributaries]] or estuaries of the Rhine, and are also particularly common in the canals of Amsterdam.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Zander in Holland |url=https://www.fishinginholland.nl/english/fish-species/zander.html |access-date=July 27, 2024 |website=Fishing in Holland}}</ref>

==Habitat and biology==

===Habitat===
Zander inhabit freshwater bodies, especially large rivers and eutrophic lakes. They can tolerate brackish water and will make use of coastal lakes and estuaries. Individuals living in brackish water habitats migrate upriver, as far as {{convert|250|km|miles}} for spawning.<ref name="iucn"/>

===Diet===
Zander are carnivorous and the adults feed on smaller schooling fish.<ref name = Fishbase/> Studies around the Baltic Sea have found them to prey on the [[European smelt]] (''Osmerus eperlanus''), [[ruffe]] (''Gymnocephalus cernua''), European perch, vendace (''[[Coregonus albula]]'') and the [[common roach]] (''Rutilus rutilus''), They were also found to be cannibalistic on smaller zanders. They have also been recorded feeding on [[Juvenile fish#Juvenile salmon|smolts]] of [[sea trout]] (''Salmo trutta'' morph. ''trutta'') and [[Atlantic salmon]] (''Salmo salar'').<ref name = CABI/> In the United Kingdom zander thrive in canals where the water is turbid due to the boat traffic and although their favoured prey in these waters is common roach they have a high impact on the populations of gudgeon (''[[Gobio gobio]]'').<ref name = CRT>{{cite web | url = https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/enjoy-the-waterways/fishing/related-articles/the-fisheries-and-angling-team/zander-in-the-canals#:~:text=Once%20introduced%20zander%20can%20establish,actively%20choose%20to%20eat%20gudgeon. | title = Zander in the canals | author = Dr Phillip Smith | date = 15 March 2018 | access-date = 17 September 2020 | publisher = Canal and Rivers Trust}}</ref>

===Reproduction===
The zander [[Spawn (biology)|spawns]] over gravel in flowing water, the males defend a [[Territoriality|territory]] in which they dig shallow depressions in sand or gravel which are roughly {{convert|50|cm|in}} across and {{convert|5|-|10|cm|in}} in depth in sand or gravel. They will also nest among exposed plant roots and the eggs are laid onto these roots. The nests are normally at depths of {{convert|1|to|3|m|in}} in turbid water. Spawning takes place in pairs, at night and at daybreak. When they are spawning the female is stationary above the male's nest and the male rapidly swims around her, keeping a distance of around {{convert|1|m|ft}} from the nesting depression. The male then orients himself perpendicular to the substrate and the pair swim around swiftly, releasing the eggs and sperm. The female departs after releasing her eggs. The male remains at the nest and defends it, fanning the eggs using the pectoral fins. Each female lays all of her eggs at once and only spawns once a year. The larvae are attracted to light and after they leave the nest they feed on zooplankton and small pelagic animals.<ref name = Fishbase/> They normal spawning season is in April and May, although exceptionally they may spawn from late February through to July, and the actual period depends on latitude and altitude. The determining factor is that it needs temperatures to reach {{convert|10|-|14|°C|F}} before spawning starts.<ref name="iucn"/>

===Life history===
Zander have a maximum lifespan of 17 year and they are sexually mature at 3–10 years old, with 4 years old being typical.<ref name="iucn"/>

===Parasites and predators===
A large number of parasites are known to infect the zander's skin, eyes and internal organs. Its gastrointestinal tract can host the [[nematode]] ''[[Anisakis]]'', which can be transmitted to humans if the fish is smoked, fried or otherwise cooked at temperatures lower than {{convert|50|°C|F}}. The zander is also a vector of the [[trematode]] ''[[Bucephalus polymorphus]]'' and may have been responsible for spreading the parasite to some French river systems during the 1960s and 1970s, leading to decreases in populations of native [[Cyprinidae|cyprinids]].<ref name = CABI/>

Recorded predators of the zander include other zanders, as well as [[European eel]]s (''Anguilla anguilla''), Northern pike, European perch, the [[wels catfish]] (''Silurus glanis'') and the [[Caspian seal]] (''Phoca caspia'').<ref name = CABI/>

==Use by humans==
[[File:Whole Baked Zander.jpg|thumb|Whole baked zander served in a restaurant in [[Balatonfüred]], [[Hungary]].]]

The zander is considered one of the most valuable food fish native to Europe.<ref>{{cite web |title=Zander |url=https://www.fishinginfinland.fi/zander |website=www.fishinginfinland.fi |access-date=20 February 2023}}</ref> It is esteemed for its light, firm but tender meat with few bones and a delicate flavour. Although it is not generally bred for food, its adaptability makes zander fishery quite sustainable. Indeed, in some regions release of young zanders is restricted, as natural stocks already provide a sufficient supply for the market, while boosting the population of this large predator would have an adverse effect on populations of its prey. Zander is especially well suited for [[fish fillet]]s.<ref>{{Cite journal|pmc = 3374688|year = 2012|last1 = Craig|first1 = N|title = Fish tapeworm and sushi|journal = Canadian Family Physician|volume = 58|issue = 6|pages = 654–658|pmid = 22859629}}</ref> It can also be served whole, baked, smoked or cooked. In some culinary circles, zander is appreciated even more highly than salmon. Even the offals can be cooked into [[consommé]].

In 2004, it was revealed that some restaurants in the [[Minneapolis-St. Paul]] area of [[Minnesota]] were serving imported zander instead of the closely related North American [[walleye]] (the state fish, and a popular food in the region). While zander and walleye are almost indistinguishable by taste, the restaurants were selling the European fish under the name "walleye", which is an illegal practice. An investigation by the [[U.S. Food and Drug Administration]] followed.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://archive.kare11.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=72386 |title= Walleye or Zander? What Are You Really Eating? |publisher=[[KARE11TV]] |date=7 December 2004 |access-date=7 December 2004}}</ref>

In Ohio, many restaurants were caught using juvenile zander fillets in the 40 to 80 gram range in place of the Lake Erie [[yellow perch]]. Shortages of the perch along with skyrocketing prices caused wholesalers and restaurants to use the juvenile zander for popular "pike perch fillets".

[[File:Kuortane.vaakuna.svg|thumb|upright=0.6|A zander in the coat of arms of [[Kuortane]]]]
In [[Finland]], as a conservation measure, the law regulates the minimum size of zander considered mature enough to be eaten.

In July 2009, in a rare occurrence, a zander bit bathers swimming in the Swiss part of [[Lake Maggiore]], sending two people to the emergency room; the worst bite inflicted a wound about 10 centimeters long. The 70-cm 8-kg fish was later caught by the local police who cooked it and offered it to the tourists for the trouble it caused.<ref name="LaDepeche-Maggiore">{{cite news | agency=Agence France-Presse | author-link=Agence France-Presse | title=Switzerland: The teeth of the lake | website=[[La Dépêche du Midi]] | date=2009-07-13 | url=http://www.ladepeche.fr/article/2009/07/13/638647-suisse-les-dents-du-lac.html | language=fr | access-date=2020-11-23 | archive-date=2021-04-13 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210413090908/https://www.ladepeche.fr/article/2009/07/13/638647-suisse-les-dents-du-lac.html | url-status=live }}</ref>

As the largest member of the perch family, zander is a popular game fish in the United Kingdom. However, it is legally a non-native [[invasive species]]; any zander caught by anglers must be destroyed.<ref name = badangling/>

=== Aquaculture ===
Increasing demand for zander for human consumption has attracted great attention of fish farmers. Today, elaborated protocols for the reproduction and on-growing of zander are available.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Policar|first1=Tomas|last2=Schaefer|first2=Fabian J.|last3=Panana|first3=Edson|last4=Meyer|first4=Stefan|last5=Teerlinck|first5=Stefan|last6=Toner|first6=Damien|last7=Żarski|first7=Daniel|date=2019-10-01|title=Recent progress in European percid fish culture production technology—tackling bottlenecks|url=https://doi.org/10.1007/s10499-019-00433-y|journal=Aquaculture International|language=en|volume=27|issue=5|pages=1151–1174|doi=10.1007/s10499-019-00433-y|bibcode=2019AqInt..27.1151P |s2cid=198190507|issn=1573-143X}}</ref> Throughout Europe, an increasing number of [[aquaculture]] facilities produce zander for stocking or human consumption, mainly in [[recirculating aquaculture system]]s (RAS). Production volume remains low, but is expected to increase. High investment and maintenance costs of RAS require farming of high value species with good market acceptance such as zander.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Agency |first1=Singapore Government Singapore Food |title=Recirculating aquaculture system: better farming indoors |url=https://www.sfa.gov.sg/food-for-thought/article/detail/recirculating-aquaculture-system-better-farming-indoors |website=Food for Thought |access-date=20 February 2023 |language=en}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Commons-inline}}
* {{ITIS |id=650172 |taxon=Sander lucioperca |access-date=19 March 2006}}
* Boyd Huppert (December 7, 2004). [http://kare11.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=72386 Walleye or Zander? What Are You Really Eating?]. [[KARE (TV)|KARE]].
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20081220124559/http://www.igfa.org/BookRule2004.pdf International Angling Rules]

{{Commercial fish topics}}

{{Taxonbar|from=Q146641}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Sander (fish)]]
[[Category:Freshwater fish of Asia]]
[[Category:Freshwater fish of Europe]]
[[Category:Commercial fish]]
[[Category:Game fish]]
[[Category:Fish of the Black Sea]]
[[Category:Fish of the Baltic Sea]]
[[Category:Fish of the Caspian Sea]]
[[Category:Fish of Russia]]
[[Category:Fish described in 1758]]
[[Category:Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus]]