Webinar discusses devastation caused by invasive northern pike

Julie Stricker
907-474-5406
March 5, 2026

A person holds a pike with gloved hands. A juvenile coho salmon peeks out of the pike's mouth. — Photo courtesy of �ֻ�ֱ�� Department of Fish and Game
A captured northern pike holds a juvenile coho salmon in its mouth. Pike are apex predators that have been introduced to Southcentral �ֻ�ֱ��, where they have become an invasive problem.

Northern pike are native to �ֻ�ֱ�� north and west of the �ֻ�ֱ�� Range but were illegally introduced to Southcentral in the 1950s, where they have spread to more than 150 water bodies. As apex predators, pike have greatly altered many aquatic ecosystems.

A free Zoom webinar from noon-1 p.m. on Wednesday, March 18, will provide an overview of how northern pike became an invasive problem in part of �ֻ�ֱ��. The webinar is hosted by the �ֻ�ֱ�� Cooperative Extension Service.

Parker Bradley, a biologist with the �ֻ�ֱ�� Department of Fish and Game, will highlight statistics that depict the impact pike have had in the Mat-Su Valley. He will also discuss the department’s suppression and eradication projects and the research showing how pike move through Cook Inlet.

For more information, contact Molly Johansson at 907-786-6313 or mjohansson@alaska.edu.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Accommodation requests related to a disability should be made five business days in advance to Alda Norris at or 907-474-7120. Language access services, such as interpretation or translation of vital information, will be provided free of charge to individuals with limited English proficiency upon request to amnorris2@alaska.edu.

This work is supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

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