Hybridization of the Chain Pickerel and Northern Pike

Abstract Conclusions 1. The heterotic effect often associated with growth of hybrids did not appear in this northern pike-chain pickerel hybrid. The hybrids grew at a rate intermediate between the rates of the parent species. 2. The negligible loss of fingerlings during rearing may be associated with a hybrid vigor not revealed by the growth rate. 3. The complete squamation of the opercle of 64 percent of the hybrids indicates that they were more comparable to the pickerel in this characteristic. 4. The color pattern of the hybrids more nearly paralleled that of the northern pike, as no tendency toward a chain-like effect was noted.