Have you ever wanted a biologist to explain the behaviour of perch so you know exactly where to look to catch them? Well that’s precisely what this guide was intended to do.

Read on to learn more about the delicious Yellow Perch!

Geographic Range

Perca flavescens, or yellow perch, is a north temperate fish. They range from western Canada and the Hudson Bay region east to New Brunswick and south to South Carolina.

Biogeographic Regions

Nearctic, Native

Habitat

Yellow perch are mostly found in lakes, though they can also be found in impoundments of bigger rivers. Excessive turbidity and silt can kill perch, therefore clean water is essential. Perch, on the other hand, have a strong tolerance for low oxygen levels. During the summer, they prefer water with a moderate temperature, avoiding cold deep water and warm surface waters. Young perch prefer shallower water than larger perch, but when the temperature rises, they all migrate to cooler, deeper water (Walden 1964; Herman et al 1959).

Aquatic Biomes

Lakes and Ponds

Physical Description

Adult yellow perch are typically golden yellow, whereas juveniles are typically pale. These fish have 6–8 black vertical bands on their flanks. Their eyes range in colour from green to yellow. They feature a spiny dorsal fin with 12-14 spines, as well as a second dorsal fin with 12-13 soft rays and 2-3 spines (Craig 1987; Herman et al 1950). Between the last three or four dorsal spines, the membrane normally has a blackish blotch. Two spines and 7-8 soft rays make up its anal fin. Adults’ lower fins are usually yellow or reddish in colour, which is more evident on males during breeding season. With 51-61 scales, the lateral line is prominent and curving. Because they have ctenoid scales, yellow perch have a rough texture (Clay 1975; Herman et al 1959).

Adult yellow perch typically grow to be 10 to 25.5 cm long, with some reaching 35.6 cm, although these are geriatric fish (Walden 1964; Clay 1975). In yellow perch, there is sexual dimorphism. Females grow more quickly and achieve a larger final size than males. In seven-year-old fish, there is a 2.5-cm difference in length (Herman et al 1959; Craig 1987). Perch growth rates differ dramatically from one body of water to the next. Stunting is a phenomenon in which fish are smaller in size than other fish populations in the same geographic area. Yellow perch are particularly prone to stunting (Heath and Roff 1996; Herman et al 1959).

Other Physical Features

Ectothermic; Heterothermic; Bilateral symmetry

Average mass

150 g

5.29 oz

Average mass

1055.25 g

37.19 oz

Reproduction

Female yellow perch reach sexual maturity between the ages of two and four, while males reach sexual maturity one year earlier. Spawning occurs in the spring (April to early May) when the water temperature reaches 45 to 52 °F (Craig 1987; Herman 1959). Each female lays about 23,000 eggs on average. The eggs quickly enlarge and solidify after being deposited. The eggs hatch in 8-10 days, and the newly emerged fish are 4-7 mm long.

The mouths of yellow perch larvae are big, and their jaws, teeth, and eyes are highly developed. They begin active eating at 7.0 mm, but the yolk sac continues to absorb food. Fins with spines and rays are fully grown at 21-27 mm. At 36-37 mm, the fish is fully scaled. The larvae first appear nearshore after hatching, then become pelagic (drift offshore) and stay that way until their fins fully develop (Craig 1987; Fischer and Willis 1997; Walden 1964). Yellow perch are a short-lived fish; only a handful over the age of seven are ever caught (Herman et al 1959).

Average number of offspring

100000

Average time to hatching

16 days

Lifespan/Longevity

Average Lifespan

Status: captivity

12.0 years

Average Lifespan

Status: captivity

8.0 years

Behavior

In the spring, yellow perch migrate from deep water spawning locations to shallow water spawning regions. Males are the first to arrive at the spawning grounds. Spawning occurs in depths ranging from 0.5 to 8 meters over sand, gravel, rubble, and plants (Craig 1987; Herman 1959). During the spawning season, yellow perch lose their typical diel behavioral patterns. Spawning occurs at all hours of the day and night. A single female is frequently accompanied by two to five males. The female swims above the surface of the water. One of the males pursues her as the rest remain motionless. A long gelatinous egg strand is released while the female swims in a spiral motion, pulling herself into a U-shape (Craig 1987). The egg strand can be anywhere between.61 and 2.1 meters long and 5.1 to 7.6 centimeters broad. The eggs are then sprayed with milt by at least two males, including the following. It takes roughly five seconds for the egg and sperm to be released. Females go as soon as the eggs are released. Males stay after spawning, however they don’t protect the eggs or fry (Herman et al 1959; Craig 1987; Walden 1964).

Yellow perch are sluggish swimmers who do not accelerate well. Yellow perch are schooling fish that may be able to compensate for their lack of swimming abilities by protecting younger fish and making prey capture simpler for older fish (Craig 1987). Perch that are younger in the year tend to school more than those that are older and travel alone (Helfman 1979; Herman et al 1959). The spindle-shaped schools comprise 50-200 fish that appear to be organized by size and age (Herman et al 1959). Males and females are typically separated in schools (Craig 1987).

Perch are demonstrated in most studies to break apart in the evening and reform in the morning, which is important for schooling (Helfman 1979; Hergenrader and Hasler 1968). Yellow perch activity could be influenced by light levels. During the day, they are active, and at night, they remain dormant (Helfman 1979; Craig 1987). Yellow perch, on the whole, don’t really travel significantly throughout the year.

Top predators such as walleye, northern pike, muskellunge, and lake trout rely on perch as a food supply in cooler waters. They’re also eaten by herring gulls and diving ducks (Herman et al 1959). Pumpkinseeds and white suckers seem to contend with yellow perch for the same prey resources (Craig 1987; Heath and Roff 1996). Young yellow perch are frequently seen in the stomachs of small walleye. Walleyes ate at least 18 percent of possible 18-mm yellow perch in Lake Erie in 1988, according to estimates. This percentage includes white bass and white perch (Hartman and Margraf 1993).

Key Behaviors

Natatorial, Motile

Communication and Perception

Perception Channels

Tactile, Chemical

Food Habits

Yellow perch feed on zooplankton when they are young, then transition to benthic macroinvertebrates as they mature, and finally fish (Gerking 1994). During summertime reductions in zooplankton biomass in Lake Erie and other lakes, young of the year transition from mostly zooplankton to benthos (Post and McQueen 1994; Roseman 1996).

The jaws and gill rakers of yellow perch have little backward slanting teeth that squeeze out small pelagic food sources from the water (Herman et al 1959). Their mouths are subterminal, which allows them to feed at the bottom (Parrish and Margraf 1990). The food is swallowed whole by yellow perch (Weatherly 1972). When they attain a total length of 60 – 75 mm, they switch to prey that is longer than 1.7 mm (Schneberger 1991). The net energy acquired from consuming large prey like benthos and fish balances the difficulties of capture and digestion in larger fish (Mills et al 1989).

Economic Importance for Humans: Positive

Yellow perch are commercially significant as a food source and a recreational fish. In Lake Michigan, Lake Erie, and Lake Huron, yellow perch support a commercial fishery. Yellow perch commercial catches peaked at 13,546 tonnes in Lake Erie in 1969. Between 1980 and 1984, the commercial capture of Canadian yellow perch accounted for 55% of the total value of all fish taken in Lake Erie by Canada (Craig 1987; GLFC 1997; Jude and Leach). Yellow perch are a popular sport fish that generates a lot of revenue for the economy through tourism and recreation. Yellow perch account for around 85% of all sport fish captured in Lake Michigan (Francis et al 1996). In 1984, sport anglers caught 58 times more fish in Lake Erie than commercial fishermen (Ruetter and Hartman 1988).

Economic Importance for Humans: Negative

No negative effects known.

Conservation Status

Although there is a scarcity of historical data on yellow perch, commercial catch records from the Great Lakes reveal that the population fluctuated regularly between 1930 and 1964. In the 1960s, population fell, but by the early 1980s, it had regained. The principal cause of the rapid drop is likely to be alewife predation and competition with yellow perch larvae. Overfishing, competition with other exotics such as rainbow smelt, and nutrient loading, which deteriorated breeding habitats, are among the other culprits (Jude and Leach; GLFC 1997; Francis et al 1996).

In the 1990s, yellow perch populations in Lake Erie plummeted once more. The specific cause is uncertain, however it is thought to be related to habitat degradation (macrophyte beds), recruitment failure, zebra mussels, and competition with white perch, an imported fish (GLFC 1997). The rapid drop is also being seen in the other big lakes. Year class failure appears to be occurring early in the life cycle, based on the average age rise and lack of young of the year perch in Lake Michigan. Post-larval perch mortality could be caused by harsh spring weather, alewive predation, or competition with other planktivores (Francis et al 1996).

To safeguard yellow perch populations in Lake Erie, Ohio banned gillnet fishing in 1984. Extensive research on yellow perch populations throughout their range has aided in gaining a better knowledge of the elements that have the greatest impact on perch populations. Interagency measures are also underway to prevent overfishing and conserve breeding perch (Ruetter and Hartman 1988; Francis et al 1996; GLFC 1997).

IUCN Red List

No special status

US Federal List

No special status

CITES

No special status

State of Michigan List

No special status

SOURCES/REFERENCES:

1. Craig, J. 1987. The biology of perch and related fishes. Portland,OR: Timber Press.
2. Fischer, S., D. Willis. 1997. Early life history of yellow perch in two South Dakota glacial lakes. J. Freshwater Ecology, 12: 421-429.
3. Francis, J., S. Robillard, J. Marsden. 1996. Yellow perch management in Lake Michigan: a multi-jurisdictional challenge. Fisheries, 21: 18-20.
4. Gerking, S. 1994. Feeding Ecology of Fish. San Diego,CA: Academic Press, Inc.
5. Great Lakes Fishery Commision, 1997. Draft: Lake Erie fish community objectives. Ann Arbor, MI: Great Lakes Fishery Commision.
6. Hartman, K., F. Margraf. 1993. Evidence of predatory control of yellow perch (Perca flavescens) recruitment in Lake Erie, USA. J. Fish Biology, 43: 109-119.
7. Heath, D., D. Roff. 1996. The role of trophic bottlenecks in stunting: a field test of an allocation model of growth and reproduction in yellow perch (Perca flavescens). Environmental Biology of Fishes, 43: 53-63.
8. Helfman, G. 1979. Twilight activities of yellow perch (Perca flavescens). J. Fish. Res. Board Can., 36: 173-179.
9. Hergenrader, G., A. Hasler. 1968. Influence of changing seasons on schooling behavior of yellow perch. J. Fish. Res. Board Can., 25: 711-716.
10. Herman, E., W. Wiley, L. Wiegert, M. Burdick. 1959. The yellow perch: Its life history, ecology and management. Madison, WI: Wisconsin Conservation Department.
11. Jude, D., L. Leach. N/A. The Great Lakes Fisheries. Pp. 517-551 in N/A, ed. Great Lakes.
12. Mills, E., R. Sherman, D. Robson. 1989. Effects of zooplankton abundance and body size on growth of age-0 yellow perch Perca flavescens in Oneida Lake, New York, 1975-1986. Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci., 46: 880-886.
13. Parrish, D., F. Margraf. 1991. Prey selectivity by age-0 white perch (Morone americana) and yellow perch (Perca flavescens) in laboratory experiments. Can J. Fish. Aquat. Sci., 48: 607-610.
14. Post, J., D. McQueen. 1994. Variablility in first year growth of yellow perch (Perca flavescens): Predictions from a simple model, observations, and an experiment. Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci., 51: 2501-2510.
15. Roseman, E. 1996. Evaluation of competition between age-0 yellow perch (Perca flavescens) and Gizzard shad (Dorosoma cepedianum) in Oneida Lake, New York.. Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci., 53: 865-874.
16. Ruetter, J., W. Hartmen. 1988. A history of human impacts on the Lake Erie fish community. Pp. 163-176 in J Downhower, ed. The biogeography of the Island Region of Western Lake Erie. Columbus,OH: Ohio State University Press.
17. Schneberger, P. 1991. Seasonal incidence of Bythotrephes cederstroemi in the diet of yellow perch (ages 0-4) in Little Bay De Noc, Lake Michigan, 1988. J. Great Lakes Res., 17: 281-285.
18. Walden, H. 1964. Familiar freshwater fishes of America. N.Y.: Harper Row.