Where have all the Blue Fish Gone?

Blue Qalleye erroneously called the blue pike, was a subspecies of the walleye that went extinct in the 1960s.

The incredibly illusive Blue Walleye of Lake Ontario and Erie was once a common trophy fish of fisherman until the 1950’s. Never heard of a Blue Walleye? Maybe you’ve heard of a Blue Pike? Occasionally the Blue Walleye was mistakenly called a Blue Pike as a result of the similarities between the species.  Considering that the species is thought to have been driven to extinction throughout the great lakes since 1960, it wouldn’t be surprising if you had never heard of either!

What made the Blue Walleye go extinct? Overfishing of course! Along with the death knell delivered in the form of chemicals (fertilizers, pesticides, etc.) and competition with introduced fish such as rainbow smelt.

Occasionally however, someone, somewhere, seems to think they have caught a blue walleye within a great lake. Invariably this is the result of certain yellow walleye populations that contain a colour variant with a bluish colour. So why is a walleye that’s blue not a ‘blue walleye’? The actual blue walleye could be distinguished from yellow walleye by particular bodily features beyond their blue colouration which the yellow walleye did not share. Nonetheless, to be certain, an investigation of genetic material from preserved blue walleye specimens is currently underway in an effort to uncover the true status of the populations.

Unfortunately to date, none of the bluish-coloured walleyes captured in recent years have proven to be true blue walleye. Despite this fact there are those that refuse to give up. Like one US organization who is offering a reward for the successful capture of a blue walleye. Before you run out with your pole and bait though, be aware that you have quite the challenge on your hands. The last known blue walleyes, to any degree of certainty, were captured in about 1965 from both lakes Erie and Ontario. The loss of the blue walleye is, arguably, an extinction event on par with the loss of the passenger pigeon and the near-extermination of the American bison. Where once the blue walleye numbered in the millions, all are now gone.