Vandarch pike

Vandarch pike Temporal range: Late Cretaceous–present 70–0 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
E. vandarcensis in the Zoological Gardens Collinebourg
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Esociformes
Family:	Esocidae
Genus:	Esox
Type species
Esox vandarcensis Charles Linneaux, 1735

The Vandarch pike (Esox vandarcensis) is a species of carnivorous fish of the genus Esox (pike). Common throughout Levantia, they are commonly found in the brackish and fresh waters of the Vandarch and the numerous rivers and lakes that feed into it. With a fossil range dating back to the Late Cretaceous, the Vandarch pike is considered a living fossil by the scientific community.

Vandarch pike have the elongated, torpedo-like shape typical of predatory fishes, with sharply pointed heads and sharp teeth. Their coloration is typically grey-green with a mottled or spotted appearance with stripes along their backs, providing camouflage among underwater weeds, and each individual pike marking patterns are unique like fingerprints. Vandarch pike can grow to large sizes; their average length is about 40–55 cm (16–22 in), with maximum recorded lengths of up to 150 cm (59 in) and maximum weights of 28.4 kg (63 lb). The International Game Fish Association currently recognises a 28 kilograms (62 lb) pike caught by Siegmar Groff on Seering Lake, Yonderre, on 16 October 1986, as the all-tackle world-record holding Vandarch pike.

The Vandarch pike, while not held in particularly high regard as a foodstuff in modern times, has historically been held in high regard by the Levantine peoples. It remains one of the apex predators of the Lake Vandarch and is designated as the national fish of Yonderre. It is a prized trophy fish throughout Levantia and, thanks to its depictions in Yonderian cinema, Kiravia. Yonderian polymath Charles Linneaux referred to the Vandarch pike as "the single most important taxon of the Levantine waterways".

Etymology

The Vandarch pike takes its Ænglish name from the pointed shape of its head by way of the Olde Ænglish word píc originally meaning "pickaxe". "Pickerel" is a common term for juvenile pikes. The plural of pike is also pike. The specific name "Vandarch pike" refers to Lake Vandarch where the fish is found in ample abundance today. It is known as Peyk in the East Gothic language from the same root as the Ænglish "pike". It is known as brochet in Burgoignesc from broche (“spike, pin”) +‎ -et, after the pointed jaws of the fish.

Fossil record

Fossilized Late Cretaceous Vandarch pike from the Spelph River Valley, Yonderre

E. vandarcensis is known from countless specimens around Levantia dating back as far as 70 million years ago, placing the species firmly at the beginning of the Esox-genus' lineage. The Vandarch pike predates the Lake Vandarch for which it is named by at least 69 million years, having evidently evolved at some point during the Late Cretaceous in the brackish and fresh waters of Northeastern Sarpolevantia.

Angling

Effective methods for catching this hard-fighting fish include dead baits, live baits, and lure fishing. Pike can easily be damaged when handled since they are not as robust as their reputation would suggest. Color of lure can be influenced by water clarity and weather conditions. Since pike have numerous sharp teeth it is wise to take extreme care when unhooking them. The use of a wet leather gauntlet and surgical forceps to remove hooks is highly recommended on safety grounds. If practicing catch and release fishing, care for the pike should be the pike angler's utmost concern. The formerly recommended practice of grasping a pike by its eye sockets (misinterpreted as "its eyes") resulted in numerous released pike that quickly died from inability to see prey any longer.

The current recommended method of grasping pike is to close the hand firmly over the gill covers, and to make the period of handling as short as possible before release. Grabbing a pike by the gill covers is not feasible when a pike is very big, but it is easy to handle a pike by inserting the fingers at the bottom of the gill opening and grabbing the lower jaw. Big pike should also be supported at the belly. When a pike is held this way it is also easier to keep the mouth open to remove a hook. Some anglers now use special grips to grab the pike's front lower jaw, which can add to the safety of an anglers because of the danger imposed by the hooks of the lure or tackle and the pike's teeth. However these can cause serious damage to a pike's lower jaw. The Pike Anglers Club (Burg: Societie des Pecheuers Brochets) was formed in 1977 to campaign for the preservation of pike and the sport of pike fishing. It is headquartered in Spelph, Yonderre, but is a trans-national club with many local chapters in Upland Burgundie.

Pike are susceptible to gut hooking when fished for with natural bait. Upon taking the bait, the pike will hold it for a short time in its mouth as it moves off. The pike will then, usually, turn the bait in its mouth, so that it sits in alignment with its throat to ease swallowing. It is recommended that when pike fishing the process is not allowed to go this far and a strike is recommended as soon as a bite is indicated. Otherwise, what is known as gut hooking will result, which will normally kill or seriously injure the fish. Burgoignesc research shows that cutting the line immediately when the fish is gut hooked will still give low mortality (14%). The hooks in the gut or stomach were either encapsulated or removed from the body. Placing hooks near the rear of the bait reduces the risk of deep hooking.

Other methods of catching and handing pike that are now frowned upon are the gaff and the gag. The gaff is a metal hook on the end of a pole used to hook through the fish's body in place of a more humane landing net. A gag is a device for holding open the pike's mouth whilst unhooking. These are now illegal in Yonderre, as they put a huge amount of pressure on a pike's jaw, thus causing irreparable damage.

Cuisine

Quenelle de brochet sauce Esquinine.

The taste of pike and pickerel is highly esteemed, but the "multitude of long, fine, forked bones" are problematic.  The dish of pike dumplings (Burg: quenelles de brochet), which puts the meat through a sieve, was invented in Esquinia, Burgundie, during the late eighteenth century to deal with this issue. The dish consists of pike quenelles with sauce Esquinine, both pike and crayfish being specialties of the Esquinine area. Pike quenelles were invented by a chef named Boniface-Beauchamps Bellevue Bontemps to deal with the pike's "multitude of long, fine, forked bones". Quenelles de brochet are prepared many ways, but most recipes first prepare a panade, essentially a thick Béchamel sauce, then combine the panade with fish, and put the mixture through a sieve such as a tamis, yielding a forcemeat. The quenelles are shaped from the forcemeat and then poached. They may be served sauced and grilled, or with a variety of sauces.

Cultural significance

• Brochet family of anti-ship missiles

See also

• Vandarch
• Yonderian cuisine