THE STATUS OF PIKE-PERCH CULTURE IN FINLAND

Pike-perch (Stizostedion lucioperca (L.)) brood-fish are captured from natural populations just before and during spawning time. One to thre e spawning pairs are put together with an artificial nest in a net-cag e. After spawning the eggs attached to the nest are transported to a h atchery 1 day before hatching begins. The production of newly hatched fry, 30 million in 1994, is used for fingerling production in ponds wi th natural food. The production of pike-perch fingerlings in Finland i ncreased rapidly in the 1980s and reached 10 million fish in 1994. The fingerlings are stocked into lakes particularly in central Finland, w here many lakes lost their native pike-perch populations in the 1960s. In some lakes pike-perch fingerling stockings have been profitable an d new populations have been established. Experiments on intensive rear ing of newly-hatched pike-perch fry have not been successful. However, one-summer-old pond-reared pike-perch fingerlings are being reared in tensively to provide captive brood fish.