Category:Yellow Perch

YELLOW PERCH
Name:								Average length: 4-10 inches Kingdom:	Animalia				Average weight: 5 oz.- 16 oz.	Phylum:	Chordata				World record:  19.6 inches Class:		Osteichthyes						 4.2 lbs. Order:		Perciformes				Life span: 13 years (called jumbo perch) Family:	Percidae Genus:		Perca (means “perch”) Species:	P. flavescens (means “yellow”)

Binomial name: Perca flavescens

Other names it goes by: American perch, bandit fish, calico bass, perch, lake perch, convict coon perch, coontail, Eisenhower, jack perch, raccoon perch, red perch, redfin, redfin trout, ring-tail perch, ringed perch, river perch, sand perch, striped perch

Where they live: Perch can be found on the Atlantic coast from Nova Scotia to South Carolina, west to the Hudson Bay region to Saskatchewan and south to the northern half of the Mississippi drainage system. They are found in all Maryland reservoirs and have even adapted to living in the estury water of Chesapeake Bay. Perch prefer clear lakes with abundant aquatic vegetation.

What they eat: Adults eat insects, larvae, crustaceans, and small fish. Young perch live on zooplankton, cladocerans, and copepods after they migrate offshore until they reach a size to avoid predators.

How it can be identified: -bright green to golden brown on back -brassy green to golden yellow or yellowish green on sides -6-8 dark vertical stripes across bands and sides -gray to milk-white belly -pectoral, anal, and pelvic fins are red to orange -dorsal fin is separated into spiny front portion and soft-rayed portion -anal fin has 2 long, slender spines and 7-8 rays -front dorsal fin has 12-15 sharp spines -one or two spines are on the leading edge of the rear dorsal fin, with 12-14 rays

Life cycle: -long strand of eggs float in water and are moved by the current -there is no nest and no parents that guard them -eggs hatch in 11-27 days, depending on water temperature -once hatched they head for deeper water -after about a month, they head back to shallower water -then they live with other adults at bottom of lake in schools of 50-200 fish -the young eat zooplankton and small aquatic insects -they eat mostly during day and little or not at all in evening hours -considered adult at 1-4 years old Yellow perch (perca flavescens) also known as perch, lake perch, and American perch, are a bright green to olive to golden brown on their backs; yellow-green to yellow on their sides and gray to milk-white on their bellies, with dark vertical bands on their sides.

Yellow perch are native to the Great Lakes and although they are capable of adapting to a variety of habitats and water temperatures, they are usually found in schools near shore at depths of less than 30 feet.

Adult yellow perch feed on insect larvae, crustaceans, and small fish, depending on the forage base available. Young perch feed on zooplankton--primarily  copepods and cladocerans.

Yellow perch eggs are deposited on weeds or branches of trees or shrubs submersed in the water. They hatch in 11-27 days, depending on the water temperature.