Yellow Perch - Abstract

Abstract

Yellow perch Perca flavescens is native to North America in the northern region east of the continental divide. Also, it includes tributaries to the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans and the Mississippi River. The current native and introduced range in the United States is through northern Missouri to western Pennsylvania in the south to South Carolina and to Maine in the east and include the majority of the western United States. In Canada, its native range is throughout Nova Scotia and Quebec north to James Bay. They also are plentiful in the northwest to Great Slave Lake and west into Alberta. They are not native to any other areas of Canada. Areas of introduction currently have not expanded outside of North America. It has been widespread in US and Canada due to its popularity as a sport and commercial fish, as well as a forage fish for bass, walleye, and double-crested cormorants. These introductions were predominately performed by the US Fish Commission in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, but the most likely unofficial pathways are illegal introductions, dispersal through connected waterways and live bait. The non-native dispersal was not as intense in Canada as it was in the US. They are commonly found in the littoral zones of both large and small lakes, but also inhabit slow-moving rivers and streams, brackish waters, and ponds. Yellow perch commonly reside in shallow water, but are occasionally found deeper than 15 meters or on the bottom.

In the northern waters, females often are larger, grow faster, live longer, and mature in three to four years. Males mature in two to three years at a smaller size. Perch do not grow as large in the northern waters, but tend to live longer. Most research has showed the maximum age to be approximately 9–10 years, with a few living past 11 years. The preferred temperature range for the yellow perch is 17.6 to 25°C (63 to 77°F), with an optimum range of 21 to 24°C (70 to 75°F) and a lethal limit in upwards of 33°C (91°F) and stress limit at anything over 26°C (79°F). Yellow perch spawn once a year in spring using large schools and shallow areas of a lake or low-current tributary streams. They do not build a redd or nest. Spawning typically takes place at night or in the early morning. Females have the potential to spawn up to eight times in their lifetimes.

A small aquaculture industry in the U.S. Midwest contributes approximately 90,800 kg (200180 lbs) of yellow perch annually, but the aquaculture is not expanding rapidly. The yellow perch is absolutely crucial to the survival of the walleye and largemouth bass. Cormorants feed heavily on yellow perch in early spring, but over the entire season only 10% of their diet is perch. Cormorants and anglers combined harvest 40% of age-1 and age-2 yellow perch and 25% of the adult yellow perch population in Lake Michigan. Total annual mortality of adult yellow perch has not changed since cormorant colonization.