Age and growth of pike (Esox lucius) in Chivyrkui Bay Lake Baikal

The purpose of this study was to describe age and growth of pike (Esox luci us) in Lake Baikal. Pike were collected with gill nets and by angling in Ch ivyrkui Bay in late July-early August 1993 and by gill nets in June 1995. t otal length (mm), weight (g), and sex were recorded and scales and cleithra were collected for aging. In 1993, pike, ages 1 to 3, ranged in length fro m 331 to 810 mm and in 1995, pike, ages 2 to 10, ranged in length from 365 to 1,111 mm but only three percent were age 7 or older. Most growth in leng th occurred during the first two years of life. The length-weight relation for pike from Chivyrkui Ba was similar to that of pike from eastern Lake On tario, and the cleithra-total body relation was similar to that of pike fro m the St. Lawrence River. Calculated total length of pike from Lake Baikal equalled or exceeded the lengths of pike from lakes Erie or Ontario. Good a greement was found between ages from cleithra and from scales. Lengths at a ge in June 1995 (N = 108) varied widely among pike. Females were generally larger than males at a given age among fish age-3 and older. When compared with the circumpolar growth standard, based on the von Bertalanffy growth c urve, growth of Lake Baikal pike exceeded all other Asian populations, and equalled or exceeded many other northern hemisphere populations.