Blue Walleye's or Albino Gold Walleye

The University of Wisconsin - Washington County is currently doing research on blue walleye in Canada and the upper Midwest. We would appreciate information on sightings as well as samples of liquid mucous from the skin of the fish.

Sunday, January 31, 2010

PRODUCTION OF BLUE PIGMENT PEAKS IN LATE SUMMER


 

Production of Sandercyanin is seasonal and peaks in late summer. The graph plots absorbance of Sandercyan by date and indicates peak production in late summer all three years. The photo shows jars of slime from individual walleye captured in both March and August indicating greater production of blue pigment in August.

Posted by Wayne Schaefer

ANATOMY OF BLUE PIGMENT PRODUCTION

Blue pigment (Sandercyanin) is produced in membrane-bounded vesicles (440x) just posterior (toward tail) to each dorsal spine and next to an adjacent blood vessel.

 Posted by Wayne Schaefer

Morphology

 

Blue walleye of Canada are genetically different than the extinct "blue pike" of Lake Erie. They are albino for yellow color and have blue color in the mucous of their skin. The blue color forms on the dorsal (upper) part of the body and is particularly noticeable in the two dorsal fins and the upper part of the tail.

Everything else I could find on the topic was similar and no other pictures. I just heard somewhere in Europe they are seeing the same thing going on with Zander(The look-alike cousin to Walleye) that get much larger into the 25-30 pound range.