Animalia Life

Perca flavescens
FAMILY
Percidae
TAXONOMY
Perca flavescens Mitchill, 1814, New York, United States. No subspecies are recognized.
OTHER COMMON NAMES
English: American perch, lake perch, perch; French: Perchaude, perche canadienne, perche jaune; German: Amerikanischer FluЯbarsch.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
Maximum total length 19.7 in (50 cm), but anglers rarely see one longer than 12 in (30.5 cm). Greenish yellow, full-bodied, fusiform fishes with six to nine vertical dark bars along the sides.
DISTRIBUTION
North America from northwestern Canada to the far northwestern United States, through central and southern Canada, the north-central United States, and the Great Lakes region, and into the southeastern Canadian provinces, as well as the eastern United States south to South Carolina. Also introduced to various locations around the world. In North America, for instance, it has been introduced to the western and southern United States and has spread into British Columbia in western Canada.
HABITAT
Freshwater streams, rivers, ponds, and lakes. Prefers sites with submerged vegetation, also inhabits brackish water and salt lakes.
BEHAVIOR
Shoals of young fishes are commonly seen in very shallow waters near shore, often darting between docks in water less than 3 ft (0.9 m) deep. Shoals of larger fishes prefer somewhat deeper waters.
FEEDING ECOLOGY AND DIET
Feeds on small to large insects and other invertebrates, fish eggs, and fishes, sometimes taking bait almost as large as themselves. Predators include larger fishes, walleye, smallmouth bass, northern pike (Esox lucius), and numerous salmon species.
REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY
Spawns from late winter to midsummer. They frequently lay their long, spiral egg masses in vegetation. There is no parental care.
CONSERVATION STATUS
Not threatened, although stocks in many areas have been severely overexploited, and these fisheries are increasingly regulated by fishery managers.
SIGNIFICANCE TO HUMANS
Commercial food and sport fishes.

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