The nickname "freshwater shark" with which it is sometimes associated is a clear indication of its reputation as a fearsome carnivore.
It's true that the pike is one of the biggest predators in our lakes, ponds and rivers (reaching lengths of almost 1.5 m and weighing over 30 kg), and that its wide mouth is indeed armed with an impressive array of sharp teeth, ready to seize fish, crayfish, frogs, even ducklings and water voles, but it is not the insatiable glutton you might imagine: they only eat between 4 and 8 times their own weight per year and, after a good meal, they generally go on a diet for a week.
Pike spawn in late winter or early spring in the grass of temporarily flooded meadows, in the same place every year. Unfortunately, due to the increasing frequency of droughts and the widespread artificialization of wetlands, natural reproduction is now only possible in very rare areas. Without repopulation using individuals from fish farms, the species would probably have disappeared from most of our waters.
