Northern pike (Esox lucius)

AIS Aquatic invasive species

Classification: Prohibited
Invasive species family: Escocidae
More details | Report a sighting
Category: Fish
Family: Escocidae
Common names: Northern pike

April 2024: WDFW removing invasive pike after illegal introductions on San Juan Island and in Lake Washington 

If anglers catch northern pike in new areas, WDFW asks that they kill the pike immediately and do not release it, take a photo, and report it by calling 1-888-WDFW-AIS, email at ais@dfw.wa.gov, or use the Washington Invasive Species Council reporting form or mobile app at invasivespecies.wa.gov/report-a-sighting.

The northern pike (Esox Lucius) is a non-native fish classified as a prohibited aquatic invasive species (AIS) in Washington. It has already spread to several water bodies within the state.

Illegal stocking in the 1950s in Montana rivers and in the 1970s in the Coeur d’Alene river system led to establishment of northern pike in the upper Columbia River Basin. Since then, the species has steadily expanded downstream to include the Pend Oreille River, Spokane River, and the Columbia River upstream of Grand Coulee Dam. Northern pike have also been introduced to Lake Washington in King County and have been found in a pond on San Juan Island.

Their voracious appetite for other fish and prolific spawning habits represent a potential for great ecological and economic damage, not just in northeast Washington but throughout the region. Northern pike can live over 20 years, can grow to more than 45 pounds, produce a large number of young, and can consume substantial quantities of native and Endangered Species Act (ESA)-listed salmonids that are particularly vulnerable to predation. 

Surveys conducted between 2004 and 2014 documented both a rapid increase in the number of northern pike in Box Canyon Reservoir and a decline in the abundance of forage species such as native minnows and non-native sunfish, largemouth bass, and yellow perch.

Or learn more about northern pike in Washington in our printable brochure (PDF) (2023 version).

Invasive species information

Invasive species additional information

Other western states are struggling with non-native populations of Northern Pike as well, and face challenges similar to Washington. Alaska, for example, has a large northern portion of the state where Northern Pike are native, but illegal introductions to the southcentral part of the state, where they are not native, have caused devastating impacts to native salmon and trout populations. Washington is trying to learn from Alaska’s management strategy, and for more information on their situation, see the Alaska Department of Fish and Game Northern Pike webpage.

Northern Pike Reports