Growth and feeding of juvenile pike <Emphasis Type="Italic">Esox lucius</Emphasis> (Esocidae) of different hatching dates during its first months of life

Groups of fingerlings of the pike Esox lucius, that hatched from the eggs of the same female at the beginning and end of hatching are compared. It was found that larvae of pike of the beginning of hatching passed to external feeding earlier. In the period of mixed and exogenous feeding, they not only grew, but also developed more rapidly than larvae from the same brood. It was shown that pike juveniles of the end of hatching were characterized by a retarded development and growth in the first weeks of life (until reaching a length of 100 mm and a weight of 7 g). In the second month of life, specimens of this group began to feed intensively, grow, and according to body length and weight, reached pike juveniles of the beginning of hatching. Pike fingerlings of the end of hatching were characterized by compensation growth that was manifested at the excess of fish food (at cultivation in separate aquariums when the inhibitory effect of large fish on the growth of small fish was excluded) and in ponds where fish food availability was considerably lower.