Pickerel
Esox niger (Chain) / Esox americanus (Redfin/Grass)
Kosher
Has fins and scales
Fins
Yes
Scales
Yes
Description
The chain pickerel, also known as Jackfish, Mud Pike, or Southern Pike is a species of freshwater fish in the pike family of order Esociformes. The chain pickerel and the American pickerel belong to the Esox genus of pike.
Chain pickerel range along the eastern coast of North America from southern Canada to Florida and west to Texas, including the Mississippi Valley and lower Great Lakes. They hold in creek and river pools, vegetated lakes, swamps, and other wetlands, and tolerate brackish water and acidic water.
Also known as
- Chain Pickerel
- Redfin Pickerel
- Grass Pickerel
- Jack
- Mud Pike
- Grass Pike
Kosher Pickerel in foreign languages
| Scientific | Esox niger (Chain) / Esox americanus (Redfin/Grass) |
| Hebrew | פיקרל שרשרתי |
| French | Brochet maillé |
| German | Kettenhecht |
| Russian | Чёрная щука |
| Turkish | Kara turna balığı |
| Chinese | 暗色狗魚 |
Gallery
Warnings & Kosher Issues
- Pickerel is a pike-family fish (Esocidae) with fins and scales (the cheeks and gill covers are fully scaled, unlike northern pike), so it is kosher.
- In Canada pickerel often means the walleye, a different fish.
- Similar in outline to northern pike. Redfin and grass pickerel are told apart by their eye markings.