Living in the Baltic Sea

Habitat
The Zander prefers open, somewhat murky waters with a slight movement and not too shallow. Since their eye sight is excellent they have an advantage over Pike when visibility is low. Some migrate while others are more stationary. Some live in schools while others are solitary. At high temperatures they stay close to the surface and during the colder season they move to deeper waters.
Food
The tadpoles feed on plankton, larvae, as a young fish they continue on larger pray such as tadpoles, crustaceans and as an adult fish they are an omnivorous predator but feeds mostly on other fish, such as Roach and small Carp Bream.

Spawning
Age: 3 - 5 years old, male: 2 - 4 years old
Season: April - June
Number of eggs: 200 000 for a female of 1 kg

During the spawning period, large groups get together, even though the mating takes place in pairs. They prefer, clay, murky or rocky bottoms with rich vegetation and stay at depths of 1-3 meters. The male digs a nest where the female lays her eggs. After fertilizing the male stay and guard the nest. The eggs are glued to the bottom and hatch after about 10 days at a water temperature of at least 9°C. The tadpoles live pelagic, free floating in open water.

Human impact and Status
Zander are a most appreciated food fish and are important for both commercial and recreational fishermen.
In Finland Zander stocks decreased heavily in the 1960s and 1970s, even becoming extinct in some places. Now, however, improved water quality, extensive artificial releases and warm summers have strengthened stocks in many areas. In 2003, over 9 million one-summer-old Zander larvae were released into Finnish waters. Care should be taken to not alter the ecological and genetic origins of the native stock with the new releases. CLOSE