White Perch
- Thread starter Northern Pike
- Start date
really nice looking fish, seems like an interesting add to an aquarium, i cant imagine its eating habits too be much different from yellow perch or sunfish
lix.ma14;4882596; said:
Its a member of the Temperate Bass Family:
Striped Bass
White Bass
Yellow Bass
White Perch
White Perch are native to the Atlantic coast of the US.
White Perch get bigger and are more aggressive than White Bass,Yellow Bass and Yellow Perch eat their eggs and can outcompete them; although theyre natives from the East coast they pose as big of a problem to the Great lakes and Missouri/Mississippi rivers as the European Ruffe. This is from our government USGS website.
Impact of Introduction: Fish eggs are an important component of the diet of white perch especially in the spring months. White perch generally prey on eggs of walleye Stizostedion vitreum vitreum, white bass Morone chrysops, other species, and can cannabilize its own eggs (Schaeffer and Margraf 1987). Walleye or white bass eggs can make up 100% of white perch diet depending on which fish is spawning. During a three-year study, this diet was found to be unique in that: 1) eggs were eaten for a comparatively long time, 2) they were the only significant food item eaten by adults during two of the three years, 3) large volumes were eaten per individual, and 4) most fish were feeding. White perch also feed heavily on minnows Notropis spp. (Schaeffer and Margraf 1987). The collapse of the walleye fishery in the Bay of Quinte (on the north shore of Lake Ontario) coincided with the increase in the white perch population and may have been a result of egg predation and lack of recruitment (Schaeffer and Margraf 1987).
Bur and Klarer (1991) found that Morone americana has a large portion of it's diet consisting of zooplankton in the central basin of Lake Erie. In comparison to available zooplankton, a disproportionately large amount was the invasive Bythotrephes cederstroemi (Bur and Klarer 1991).
Parrish and Margraf (1990) hypothesized that white perch compete with native yellow perch Perca flavescens for zooplankton. They determined that growth rates of yellow perch had declined since the invasion of white perch in Lake Erie, especially in the western basin. They also determined that the two species had considerable diet overlap and found one sample in which white perch consumed 27 percent more food than yellow perch.
Parrish and Margraf (1994) speculated that competition between white perch and forage fishes, such as emerald shiner Notropis atherinoides and spottail shiner N. hudsonius, may actually be more complex and may be responsible for the declines of the latter species. Decline of these species could also affect walleye Stizostedion vitreum, the top predator in Lake Erie (Parrish and Margraf 1994).
Within three years after being introduced into a Nebraska reservoir, white perch had completely replaced the previously dominant black bullhead Ameiurus melas. Species composition changed from 74 percent black bullhead to 70 percent white perch in that timeframe (Hergenrader and Bliss 1971).
Invasion of the Great Lakes brought white perch into sympatric distribution with a closely related but previously allopatric species, white bass Morone chrysops, allowing hybridization to occur (Todd 1986a). White perch hybridize with native white bass M. chrysops in western Lake Erie, in Ohio and Michigan (Todd 1986a). They have also been reported from the Detroit River and the St. Clair River in Michigan (Todd 1986a). These hybrids were first noted in western Lake Erie in the early 1980s, the same period during which white perch were increasing in this area (Todd 1986a). These hybrids probably occur in other Great Lakes because the two species are sympatric throughout the chain of lakes. However, Todd was not aware of any other locations with these hybrids, and his extensive surveys around Saginaw Bay, Lake Huron, and Lake Ontario in the mid-1980s failed to find any (Todd, personal communication).
Todd (1986a) provided photographs of both parent species and the hybrid and gave characteristics of each. Because these hybrids are capable of backcrossing with the parental species, and possibly producing of F2 hybrids by crossing amongst themselves (Todd 1986a), they dilute the gene pool of each parent species. The white perch/white bass hybrid is the first naturally occurring Morone hybrid known (Todd 1986a).
Hybrids of M. americana and M. mississippiensis were first found in 2000 in the middle Illinois River (Irons et al. 2002). Hybridization and competition may represent another threat to the already dwindling yellow bass of that region.
Impact of Introduction: Fish eggs are an important component of the diet of white perch especially in the spring months. White perch generally prey on eggs of walleye Stizostedion vitreum vitreum, white bass Morone chrysops, other species, and can cannabilize its own eggs (Schaeffer and Margraf 1987). Walleye or white bass eggs can make up 100% of white perch diet depending on which fish is spawning. During a three-year study, this diet was found to be unique in that: 1) eggs were eaten for a comparatively long time, 2) they were the only significant food item eaten by adults during two of the three years, 3) large volumes were eaten per individual, and 4) most fish were feeding. White perch also feed heavily on minnows Notropis spp. (Schaeffer and Margraf 1987). The collapse of the walleye fishery in the Bay of Quinte (on the north shore of Lake Ontario) coincided with the increase in the white perch population and may have been a result of egg predation and lack of recruitment (Schaeffer and Margraf 1987).
Bur and Klarer (1991) found that Morone americana has a large portion of it's diet consisting of zooplankton in the central basin of Lake Erie. In comparison to available zooplankton, a disproportionately large amount was the invasive Bythotrephes cederstroemi (Bur and Klarer 1991).
Parrish and Margraf (1990) hypothesized that white perch compete with native yellow perch Perca flavescens for zooplankton. They determined that growth rates of yellow perch had declined since the invasion of white perch in Lake Erie, especially in the western basin. They also determined that the two species had considerable diet overlap and found one sample in which white perch consumed 27 percent more food than yellow perch.
Parrish and Margraf (1994) speculated that competition between white perch and forage fishes, such as emerald shiner Notropis atherinoides and spottail shiner N. hudsonius, may actually be more complex and may be responsible for the declines of the latter species. Decline of these species could also affect walleye Stizostedion vitreum, the top predator in Lake Erie (Parrish and Margraf 1994).
Within three years after being introduced into a Nebraska reservoir, white perch had completely replaced the previously dominant black bullhead Ameiurus melas. Species composition changed from 74 percent black bullhead to 70 percent white perch in that timeframe (Hergenrader and Bliss 1971).
Invasion of the Great Lakes brought white perch into sympatric distribution with a closely related but previously allopatric species, white bass Morone chrysops, allowing hybridization to occur (Todd 1986a). White perch hybridize with native white bass M. chrysops in western Lake Erie, in Ohio and Michigan (Todd 1986a). They have also been reported from the Detroit River and the St. Clair River in Michigan (Todd 1986a). These hybrids were first noted in western Lake Erie in the early 1980s, the same period during which white perch were increasing in this area (Todd 1986a). These hybrids probably occur in other Great Lakes because the two species are sympatric throughout the chain of lakes. However, Todd was not aware of any other locations with these hybrids, and his extensive surveys around Saginaw Bay, Lake Huron, and Lake Ontario in the mid-1980s failed to find any (Todd, personal communication).
Todd (1986a) provided photographs of both parent species and the hybrid and gave characteristics of each. Because these hybrids are capable of backcrossing with the parental species, and possibly producing of F2 hybrids by crossing amongst themselves (Todd 1986a), they dilute the gene pool of each parent species. The white perch/white bass hybrid is the first naturally occurring Morone hybrid known (Todd 1986a).
Hybrids of M. americana and M. mississippiensis were first found in 2000 in the middle Illinois River (Irons et al. 2002). Hybridization and competition may represent another threat to the already dwindling yellow bass of that region.
the lake by my house has a no release law on them, they are taking over and eat the walleye eggs and small fry, the yellow perch number have already dropped, thought instead of killing all of them mine as well try one in a tank
If its legal I see no reason not to keep them.....theyre cool looking aggressive fish and taste ok from what Ive read. Theyve invaded the Great lakes like the Eurasian Ruffe and Round Gobies have; since both Ruffe and Round Gobies are also egg eaters I am hoping the White Perch will eat the eggs of the invasive Carp, Gobies and Ruffe instead of the Trout, Walleye and Smallmouth Bass everyone loves to catch.
It is illeagle to keep them in an aquarium in Indiana, but you can catch & eat as many as you want. I have caught them in Lake Michigan, Cedar Lake, Lake Delcarlia & a Monistary pond in Indiana. Cedar Lake has a huge population, you can get as many as you feel like cleaning but they are small.