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The sauger (Sander canadensis) is a freshwater perciform fish of the family Percidae that resembles its close relative, the walleye. The species is a member of the largest vertebrate order, the Perciformes. It is the most migratory percid species in North America. Saugers have two dorsal fins; the first is spiny and the posterior dorsal fin is soft-rayed. Their paired fins are in the thoracic position and their caudal fin is truncated, which means squared off at the corners, a characteristic of the family Percidae. Another physical characteristic of saugers is their ctenoid scales, which are common in advanced fishes. Saugers have a fusiform body structure, and as a result are well adapted predatory fishes and are capable of swimming into fast currents with minimal drag on their bodies. They may be distinguished from walleyes by the distinctly spotted dorsal fin, by the lack of a white splotch on the caudal fin, by the rough skin over their gills, and by their generally more brassy color, or darker (almost black) color in some regions. The typical sauger <!-- in an angler's creel --> is in weight.

Distribution

Saugers are widely distributed; their historical range consisted of the eastern U.S. west of the Appalachian Mountains, mostly southern, central, and western U.S., and north into southern Canada. Sauger distribution within their home range varies by time of year because they are migratory.

Reproduction and lifecycle

Saugers generally move upstream to spawn during March to May, depending on where they are. They move downstream to their home locations from April–July after their spawning period is over. Saugers have been known to travel between 10 and 600&nbsp;km from their home to spawning locations upstream. Habitats at spawning sites are less complex and diverse than home locations. Sexual maturity is reached between 2 and 5 years old.

Habitat

Saugers are more likely to be found in large rivers with deep pools (depths greater than 0.6 m). The sauger was first formally described as Lucioperca canadensis in 1834 by British naturalists and explorers Edward Griffith (1790–1858) and Charles Hamilton Smith (1776–1859) based on the work of French naturalist and anatomist Georges Cuvier (1769–1832) which Griffith translated from the French language.

Conservation

thumb|A sauger caught in the [[Yellowstone River]]

Saugers face many conservation issues because of migratory barriers, habitat loss, entrainment in irrigation canals, and overexploitation. Dams and diversion canals prevent spawning in upstream habitats. Altering flows in rivers affect turbidity, formation of pools, and temperature, all of which are important for the timing and success of spawning saugers. Sauger were extirpated from Lake Erie at some point after a population crash in the 1950s, as well as from Lake Ontario. Populations in the Allegheny River are prevented from reaching New York by the Kinzua Dam, which has led to the initiation of a sauger stocking program in the upper Allegheny River.

References

  • Fishbase information on Sauger
  • Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks [http://www.kdwp.state.ks.us/news/fishing/fish_stocking_records/sauger]
  • Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks [http://fwp.state.mt.us/fieldguide/detail_AFCQC05010.aspx]
  • Lake-Link.com [http://www.lake-link.com/anglers/fish/fishdetails.cfm?FishID=27]
  • Sauger Fishing in the Tennessee Valley [http://www.dcnr.state.al.us/Fishing/freshwater/fish/walleyesauger/sauger.cfm]
  • Saugeye