Description
Esox lucius X Esox masquinongy is an artificial hybrid. The males are sterile, but the females are often fertile (Becker 1983).
Common Names - 'Tiger Muskellunge' is sometimes used for a color variant, but usually refers to the hybrid Esox lucius X Esox masquinongy.
Potentially Misidentified Species - Esox reicherti (Amur Pike) is native to Asia (Russia, China) and was introduced to Glendale Lake (PA) in the Susquehanna drainage. Iit has not been reported from the river proper (Denoncourt et al. 1975b), and is considered a failed introduction (Courtenay et al. 1984).
Taxonomy
| Kingdom | Phylum | Class | Order | Family | Genus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Animalia | Chordata | Osteichthyes | Salmoniformes | Esocidae | Esox |
Synonyms
Invasion History
Chesapeake Bay Status
| First Record | Population | Range | Introduction | Residency | Source Region | Native Region | Vectors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | Unknown | Contracting | Introduced | Boundary Resident | North America | North America | Fisheries(Fisheries Intentional) |
History of Spread
The hybrid Esox lucius X Esox masquinongy '(Tiger Muskie') is known from nature where the two species co-occur, but the first artificial propagation was in 1939 (Raasch and Altemus 1991). They have been stocked in the Hudson River Basin since 1980 (Mills et al. 1997). Esox lucius X Esox masquinongy has been stocked in at least 31 states (Fuller et al. 1999).
Stocking of E. lucius X E. masquinongy began in the 1970's in VA reservoirs (Jenkins and Burkhead 1993) and the DE Basin in PA (Raasch and Altemus 1991).
Potomac River- Extensive stocking of E. lucius X E. masquinongy, by the MD Department of Natural Resources, continues in Piedmont regions of the Potomac (Christmas et al. 2000). 'Tiger Muskies ' have been caught just above the tidal region as recently as 2009 (Starnes et al. 2011).
Susquehanna River - Esox lucius X Esox masquinongy were stocked in Conowingo Pond in the 1970's by the PA Fish Commission. Some of these hybrids were collected below Conowingo Dam in Maryland Department of Natural Resources sampling during 1978-80 (Pavol and Davis 1982). In 1993-1997, 1-2 fish per year were found below Conowingo Dam (Susquehanna Anadromous Fish Restoration Committee 1993-1997). PA has stopped stocking of esocids in the Susquehanna (McLean 1999 personal communication).
Delaware River - Esox lucius X Esox masquinongy were stocked from the 1970's onward as far downstream as Chester PA; 70,000 were stocked in 1981-1988. They were frequently caught downriver to Wilmington DE (Horwitz 1986; Raasch and Altemus 1991). However, PA has stopped stocking of esocids in the mainstem river, due to heavy predation by resurgent populations of Striped Bass (Morone saxatilis) (Raasch 1996).
History References- Fuller et al. 1999; Horwitz 1986; Jenkins and Burkhead 1993; McKeown 1984; McLean 1999 personal communication; Mills et al. 1997; Pavol and Davis 1982; Raasch 1997; Raasch and Altemus 1991; Scott and Crossman 1973
Invasion Comments
Ecology
Environmental Tolerances
| For Survival | For Reproduction | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum | Maximum | Minimum | Maximum | |
| Temperature (ºC) | 0.0 | |||
| Salinity (‰) | 0.0 | 0.0 | ||
| Oxygen | ||||
| pH | ||||
| Salinity Range | fresh-oligo |
Age and Growth
| Male | Female | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Adult Size (mm) | ||
| Typical Adult Size (mm) | ||
| Maximum Adult Size (mm) | ||
| Maximum Longevity (yrs) | ||
| Typical Longevity (yrs |
Reproduction
| Start | Peak | End | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reproductive Season | |||
| Typical Number of Young Per Reproductive Event |
|||
| Sexuality Mode(s) | |||
| Mode(s) of Asexual Reproduction |
|||
| Fertilization Type(s) | |||
| More than One Reproduction Event per Year |
|||
| Reproductive Startegy | |||
| Egg/Seed Form |
Impacts
Economic Impacts in Chesapeake Bay
Esox lucius X Esox masquinongy ('Tiger Muskies') were heavily stocked in the 1970's in Conowingo Pond, Susquehanna River (Pavol and Davis 1982), but are now rare (Susquehanna River Anadromous Fish Restoration Committee 1993-1997), and stocking has ceased (McLean 1999, personal communication). Stocking is still going on in Piedmont reaches of the Potomac (Christmas et al. 2000). Some of these fish could reach the head of the estuary, but they are unlikely to have a significant economic impact in Chesapeake Bay proper.
References- Christmas et al. 2000; Horwitz 1986; McLean 1999, personal communication; Pavol and Davis 1982; Raasch and Altemus 1991; Susquehanna River Anadromous Fish Restoration Committee 1993-1997
Economic Impacts Outside of Chesapeake Bay
Esox lucius X Esox masquinongy ('Tiger Muskies') was an important gamefish in the Delware River estuary, before stocking ceased in the 1990s (Raasch 1996; Raasch and Altemus 1991). This hybrid is more easily maintained in hatcheries than Northern Pike, although some anglers prefer the purebred Esox masquinongy(Jenkins and Burkhead 1993). The hybrid Esox lucius X Esox masquinongy has been stocked in at least 31 states (Fuller et al. 1999).
References- Fuller et al. 1999; Jenkins and Burkhead 1993; Raasch 1996; Raasch and Altemus 1991
Ecological Impacts on Chesapeake Native Species
Esox lucius X Esox masquinongy ('Tiger Muskies') were heavily stocked in the 1970's in Conowingo Pond, Susquehanna River (Pavol and Davis 1982), but are now rare (Susquehanna River Anadromous Fish Restoration Committee 1993-1997), and stocking has ceased (McLean 1999 personal communication). Stocking is still going on Piedmont reaches of the Potomac (Christmas et al. 2000). Some of these fish could reach the head of the estuary, but they are unlikely to have a significant impact on native Chesapeake Bay biota.
References- Christmas et al. 2000; Horwitz 1986; McLean 1999 personal communication; Pavol and Davis 1982; Raasch and Altemus 1991; Susquehanna River Anadromous Fish Restoration Committee 1993-1997
Ecological Impacts on Other Chesapeake Non-Native Species
Esox lucius X Esox masquinongy ('Tiger Muskies') were heavily stocked in the 1970's in Conowingo Pond, Susquehanna River (Pavol and Davis 1982), but are now rare (Susquehanna River Anadromous Fish Restoration Committee 1993-1997), and stocking has ceased (McLean 1999 personal communication). Stocking is still going on Piedmont reaches of the Potomac (Christmas et al. 2000). Some of these fish could reach the head of the estuary, but they are unlikely to have a significant impact on exotic Chesapeake Bay biota.
References- Christmas et al. 2000; Horwitz 1986; McLean 1999 personal communication; Pavol and Davis 1982; Raasch and Altemus 1991; Susquehanna River Anadromous Fish Restoration Committee 1993-1997
References
Becker, George C. (1983) Fishes of Wisconsin, , Madison. Pp.Christmas, John and 7 authors. (1998) History, management, and status of introduced fishes in the Chesapeake Bay basin., In: Therres, Glenn D.(Eds.) Conservation of Biological Diversity: A Key to Restoration of the Chesapeake Bay and Beyond.. , Annapolis. Pp. 97-116
Courtenay, Walter R., Jr.; Hensley, Dannie A.; Taylor, Jeffrey; McCann, James A. (1984) Distribution of exotic fishes in the continental United States., In: Courtenay, Walter R., and Stauffer, Jay R.(Eds.) Distribution, Biology, and Management of Exotic Fishes. , Baltimore, MD. Pp.
Denoncourt, Robert F.; Robbins, Timothy W.; Hesser, Robert (1975) Recent introductions and reintroductions to the Pennsylvania fish fauna of the Susquehanna River drainage above Conowingo Dam, Proceedings of the Pennsylvania Academy of Science 49: 57-58
Fuller, Pam. L.; Nico, Leo; Williams, J. D. (1999) Nonindigenous fishes introduced into inland waters of the United States, , Bethesda MD. Pp.
Horwitz, Richard J. (1986) Fishes of the Delaware estuary in Pennsylvania., In: Majundar, S.K., Brenner, F. J., Rhoads, A. F.(Eds.) Endangered and Threatened Species Programs in Pennsylvania.. , Philadelphia. Pp. 177-201
Jenkins, Robert E.; Burkhead, Noel M. (1993) Freshwater fishes of Virginia., , Bethesda, MD. Pp.
McKeown, Paul E. (1984) Additions to ichthyofauna of the Susquehanna River with a checklist of fishes of the Susquehanna River drainage below Conowingo Dam, Proceedings of the Pennsylvania Academy of Science 58: 187-192
Mills, Edward L.; Scheuerell, Mark D.; Carlton, James T.; Strayer, David (1997) Biological invasions in the Hudson River: an inventory and historical analysis., New York State Museum Circular 57: 1-51
Page, Lawrence M.; Burr, Brooks M. (1991) Freshwater Fishes., , Boston. Pp.
Pavol, Kenneth W.; Davis, Robert W. (1982) An investigation of the smallmouth bass in the Susquehanna River below Conowingo Dam, F-29R , Annapolis MD. Pp.
Raasch, Maynard S. (1996) Delaware's Freshwater and Brackish Water Fishes: A Popular Account., , Neptune, NJ. Pp.
Raasch, Maynard S.; Altemus, Vaughn L., Sr. (1991) Delaware's freshwater and brackish water fishes: a popular account, , Wilmingotn, Delaware. Pp.
Scott, W. B.; Crossman, E. J. (1973) Freshwater fishes of Canada, , Ottawa. Pp.
Starnes, Wayne C.; Odenkirk, John; Ashton, Matthew J. (2011) Update and analysis of fish occurrences in the lower Potomac River drainage in the vicinity of Plummers Island, Maryland—Contribution XXXI to the natural history of Plummers Island, Maryland, Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington 124: 280-309
Susquehanna River Anadromous Fish Restoration Committee (1996) Restoration of American Shad to the Susquehanna River, , . Pp.
Susquehanna River Anadromous Fish Restoration Committee (1997) Restoration of American Shad to the Susquehanna River, , . Pp.