scholarly journals Are the Condition, Growth and Diet of Yellow Perch (Perca flavescens) Different between the Three Major Basins of Lake George, New York?

2015 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 30-36
Author(s):  
Brett D. D’Arco ◽  
Jeremy L. Farrell ◽  
Sandra A. Nierzwicki-Bauer ◽  
Charles W. Boylen

Gill netting was carried out at 25 sites in Lake George, New York to determine if interbasin differences of yellow perch (Perca flavescens) exist. Fish relative weight, growth and diet were analyzed for 267 yellow perch. Yellow perch are known to be omnivorous in the lake eating zooplankton, benthos and small fishes in both the littoral and pelagic waters. The length-weight relationship exhibited a significant difference amongst the Narrows, North and South basins for condition constants (p < 0.05). Relative weights were consistently found to be below the general target range and had significant differences between the basins. Growth models of fish caught in the three basins showed variation in growth of yellow perch. The yellow perch from the North basin exhibited allometric growth, while those in the South and Narrows displayed isometric growth. The diets of yellow perch between the basins also were found to be different. Previous studies have noted differences between the basins with respect to chlorophyll a, chemistry, and biota. This study provides evidence of differences in the fishery amongst the basins that follow similar, previously defined, differences in chemistry.

2000 ◽  
Vol 57 (4) ◽  
pp. 742-754 ◽  
Author(s):  
C M Mayer ◽  
A J VanDeValk ◽  
J L Forney ◽  
L G Rudstam ◽  
E L Mills

We used long-term data on Oneida Lake, New York, to evaluate hypotheses about the effects of introduced zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha) on yellow perch (Perca flavescens). We detected no change in survival, diet, or numbers of young-of-the-year (YOY) yellow perch. YOY growth increased in association with zebra mussel introduction and was marginally correlated with zooplankton size, which increased after zebra mussel introduction. Low numbers of YOY in recent years did not explain their increased growth rate. The percentage of age 3 and older yellow perch that consumed zooplankton and benthos increased after zebra mussel introduction. Water clarity, which has increased since zebra mussel introduction, was inversely related to the percentage of the adult population with empty stomachs and positively related to the percentage that consumed benthos. The percentage of adult yellow perch that consumed zooplankton was positively related to zooplankton size. Despite the increase in percentage of adults consuming both types of invertebrate prey, we detected no changes in adult growth associated with zebra mussel introduction. This suggests that the principal effects of zebra mussels on yellow perch in Oneida Lake were not via benthic pathways but through modifications of water clarity and zooplankton. Thus far, these effects have not been negative for the yellow perch population.


1989 ◽  
Vol 46 (5) ◽  
pp. 880-886 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edward L. Mills ◽  
Ruth Sherman ◽  
Douglas S. Robson

We examined an 11-yr (1975–86) field data set to determine whether annual differences in age-0 yellow perch (Perca flavescens) growth in weight were related to the abundance, size structure, and species composition of zooplankton in Oneida Lake, New York. A model for prediction of age-0 yellow perch weight was determined using a multiple regression technique; age-0 yellow perch wet weight (grams) was the dependent variable while age-0 yellow perch density, water temperature, calendar day, and cumulative biomass of both zooplankton taxonomic groups (daphnids, "other cladocerans," calanoids, cyclopoids, and nauplii) and zooplankton size classes (< 1.1 mm, 1.1–1.7 mm, and > 1.7 mm) were the independent variables. Analyses were based on an integrated approach where time was measured in cumulative temperature units and yellow perch weight was considered a function of the cumulative amount of food available. Below a cumulative temperature of 1350 °C∙d−1, none of the independent variables were related significantly (P < 0.05) to yellow perch weight. Beyond 1350 °C∙d−1 age-0 yellow perch weight was strongly correlated with the biomass of Daphnia and significant (P < 0.05) prey size variables shifted toward larger prey as fish grew. Our results indicate size- and species-based interactions between fish and zooplankton play an important role in regulating growth of age-0 fish.


1969 ◽  
Vol 26 (6) ◽  
pp. 1647-1659 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edward D. Houde

Sustained swimming ability of limnetic larvae of walleye and yellow perch from Oneida Lake, New York, was compared in an experimental apparatus. The current velocity that 50% of the larvae could sustain in 1-hr tests was recorded for each 1-mm length class. Yellow perch larvae swam better than walleye larvae for length classes less than 9–10 mm total length (TL), but swimming ability of the two species was equal for length classes from 9 to 15 mm. Velocities that larvae under 9.5 mm TL could sustain were less than 3.0 cm/sec, and it was concluded that newly hatched young of both species would be subject to transport by lake currents of greater velocity. Relative swimming ability, expressed as the number of body lengths/sec that a larva could sustain for 1 hr, approached an asymptote between 3 and 4 lengths/sec for larvae longer than 9.5 mm. The greater swimming ability of newly hatched yellow perch larvae, compared with that of walleyes, appeared to be related to the smaller yolk sac of yellow perch at hatching.


1993 ◽  
Vol 50 (4) ◽  
pp. 743-749 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christina M. Wahl ◽  
Edward L. Mills ◽  
William N. McFarland ◽  
Joseph S. DeGisi

Age-0 yellow perch, Perca flavescens, shift from pelagic to demersal waters of Oneida Lake, New York, between late June to mid-July, when they reach standard lengths of 24–31 mm. The timing of this habitat shift coincides with the size range over which yellow perch achieve a degree of visual resolution that nearly equals that of adult yellow perch, from 174 min of arc in newly hatched larvae to 9–12 min in adults. This visual improvement is reflected in the yellow perch's diet, which consists of an increasingly wider range of prey sizes and types. If twin cones are counted as functionally separate photoreceptors, there is a significant improvement of the calculated visual acuity in larval fish with lenses < 1 mm in diameter but not in older fish with larger lenses. During its rapid growth phase the most optimistic calculation of visual acuity in a young yellow perch is insufficient to explain the feeding success necessary at this time. We suggest therefore that young yellow perch spend more time in search of prey than their adult counterparts.


1979 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 173-179 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gene S. Helfman

Underwater observations were made on the diel activity patterns of yellow perch (Perca flavescens) in Cazenovia Lake, Madison County, New York (42°56′N, 75°52′W). Perch underwent a characteristic progression of activities during dusk at relatively predictable light levels and times. Patterns within the progression included increased swimming, last feed, group breakup, slowdown, and final stop. Activity at sunrise was the reverse of the sunset sequence except that some activities occurred at lower light levels than did the analagous activities in the evening. Differences exist in the twilight activity patterns of perch in different lakes; within a lake, both ontogenetic and subpopulation differences are also observed. These differences may be responses to ecological conditions, such as relative predation levels, or they may reflect the extreme plasticity of the species. Key words: behavioral ecology, changeover, diel, diurnal, fish, light, nocturnal, ontogeny, plasticity, temperate lake


1977 ◽  
Vol 34 (10) ◽  
pp. 1839-1848 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. R. Spangler ◽  
N. R. Payne ◽  
G. K. Winterton

Percids have never dominated the commercial catch from Canadian waters of Lake Huron but coincident with declining salmonid production, they contributed about 17% of the commercial landings from 1940 to 1975. Walleye (Stizostedion vitreum vitreum) production declined gradually over the past century whereas yellow perch (Perca flavescens) production increased irregularly since 1910.Walleye occur in relatively discrete stocks associated with rivers, inlets, and estuaries in the North Channel and Georgian Bay whereas southern Lake Huron stocks are seasonal residents of the southeastern rim of the main basin. Yellow perch are ubiquitous throughout the littoral waters of the lake. Growth rates of walleye are similar to those for more southerly populations in the Great Lakes and year-class strength is highly variable. Angling and commercial fishing contribute significantly to mortality rates in exploited stocks but deteriorating environmental conditions are probably more important to the persistence of walleye stocks in Lake Huron. At least one stock is presently threatened by industrial acidification of the watershed. Key words: Percidae, Lake Huron, production, population biology, Stizostedion, Perca


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