Sauger

Latin Name

Stizostedion canadense

Group Name

Freshwater

Taxonomy details

Habitat

Sauger are a freshwater fish native to central and eastern Canada. Their range begins in the St. Lawrence River system and the Great Lakes and extends westward to Saskatchewan and Manitoba, and north to Hudson Bay. They tend to live in shallow large, slow-moving rivers and large, turbid lakes with silt, sand or clay bottoms.

Species Description

Sauger resemble their close relative, the walleye, but are smaller and more slender. They have a pointed head and streamlined body with two triangular dorsal fins and a tail with a deep indent. They are usually brown or grey on their back and flanks with a mottling of yellow, and become white on their underside. Sauger can be identified-and distinguished from walleye-by the two or three rows of black spots found on their dorsal fin. They can grow to about 40 centimetres and weigh up to 900 grams.