The blue pike was once an abundant fish of the Great Lakes. It was a commonly caught commercial fish in the region and a common item on local menus. Although genetic testing on specimens of preserved “blue pike” have shown that it was not a unique subspecies, but a morph of the yellow walleye, the blue pike did look and behave differently. Its blue coloration, smaller size, larger eyes, and higher eye placement seemed to benefit those walleye living in deeper water, while the yellow phase benefited those living in shallower, brighter water. Several factors affected the populations of many fish in the Great Lakes in the mid-1900’s. Three other species went extinct around this same time period in the region. Over a billion pounds of blue pike were caught between 1885 and 1962. Carol Stepien, the same scientist who concluded that the blue pike and yellow walleye were genetically identical, published a paper about the decline of the blue pike. Stepien’s research pointed to three main reasons for the population collapse. The first, she stated was, “massive habitat loss during the 20th century including industrial waste, draining of wetlands, shoreline armoring, channelization of waterways and intense dredging operations around Lake Erie.” Secondly, “high levels of phosphorous in the 1960s, near the end of the blue pikes’ existence in the lake, as causing large algae blooms and oxygen depletion.” The final nail in the coffin for the blue pike, according to Stepien was, ““Most walleye return to spawning grounds and interbreed with their own group. When you overfish, this may break down the reproductive structure and lead to interbreedings.” One added factor might have been the invasive sea lamprey which latches onto native fish and drains them slowly of their body fluids. Lampreys have been an invasive problem since they were first detected in the Great Lakes in Lake Ontario in the late 1800’s and in Lake Erie in 1921. The blue pike population drastically declined from 20 million pounds of fish caught in 1955 to only 79,000 pounds in 1959. By 1964 only 200 pounds of blue pike were caught. The last confirmed blue pike caught in Canada was in 1965. The blue pike was listed as endangered in 1967 and declared extinct in 1983. Although Jurassic Park is fiction, scientists are working on several de-extinction projects. In fact, in 2003 scientists did bring back the extinct Pyrenean ibex, a type of wild goat, for 7 minutes before it died, showing de-extinction is possible. The blue pike is an interesting case, since genetically it was the same as the yellow walleye. The gene for the steel blue color, smaller size, and larger eye size could be unlocked by scientists and emphasized in the current yellow walleye population. There is also the possibility of finding the fabled lake where a South Dakota fishery secretly stocked 525 fingerlings blue pike fingerlings in 1969 in an effort to save the species from extinction. The Great Lakes region is the focus on conservation efforts by the United States and Canada. The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative in the United States is currently focusing on “five major focus areas to serve as a guide for collaborative restoration work. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is a proud federal partner in the implementation of the GLRI, and manages projects in the following focus areas; toxic substances and areas of concern, invasive species (there are 180 invasive species currently identified), nonpoint source pollution impacts on nearshore health, habitats and species, and foundations for future restoration actions.” The fact that these efforts have helped the yellow walleye rebound to “thriving numbers” once again, show promise for the blue pike and other fish species that call the Great Lakes home. If the blue pike was brought to life, could it ever be reintroduced to its native homeland in Lake Ontario and Lake Erie?