The stock structure of Pike-perch in Balkhash Lake is not known but a single stock is considered due to characteristics of the species (e.g. Freyhof and Kottelat, 2008).

Mitrofanov and Petr (1999) describe the introduction of pikeperch in the lake. Pikeperch first occurred in the Balkhash lake in 1961 (1% of the catch). In the six years following 1964 pikeperch decimated perch stocks and heavily reduced those of marinka, but the total fish catch doubled. High catches persisted for the following 10 years. By 1976 the proportion of pikeperch began to fall.