Animals Fishing association names zander fish of the year 2025
The Swiss Fisheries Federation has named the pikeperch fish of the year 2025. The zander has only been native to Switzerland for around 60 years and is a dangerous hunter for other fish species.
02.01.2025, 08:54
SDA
The zander is as magnificent as a mythical creature, as merciless as a predatory knight and as popular in fishing as it is in the kitchen, the fishing association stated in a press release on Thursday. The zander stocks in Switzerland are too small. Only around ten tons of zander are caught in Swiss waters every year. Demand can therefore only be met with imports and aquaculture.
Thanks to its adaptability, the zander is one of the few fish species that can survive on its own. "But we have to use it sustainably, which is why we need conservation regulations," David Bittner, Managing Director of the Fisheries Association, was quoted as saying in the press release.
Considerable stocks of zander live in Lakes Murten, Gruyère, Schiffenen, Sihl and Constance, as well as in Lake Lugano. The zander also thrives in many rivers, dam reservoirs and canals on the Central Plateau. The zander is a good hunter. According to the fishing association, it travels in packs like wolves.
By choosing the zander as Fish of the Year 2025, the association also wants to raise awareness for more natural aquatic habitats so that there are more native fish caught in the wild again.
