Growth responses of age 0 white perch and yellow perch from field-enclosure experiments

In this paper, we investigate the potential for competition between age 0 white perch Morone americana and yellow perch Perca flavescens in field-enclosure experiments. In 1986 and 1987, different densities of white perch and yellow perch were stocked into cages in the western basin of Lake Erie and their growth responses determined. Fish were weighed and measured pre- and post-stocking. In 1986 when fish were food-limited, individual growth of both species were negatively affected by increased total fish density; yellow perch to a greater extent. In 1987, experiments were carried out later in the year at lower temperatures. Yellow perch were shown to feed and continue to grow at lower water temperatures than white perch. We conclude that competition in summer may be mitigated in the fall because of differences in thermal optima between these two species.     

Influence of light intensity and wavelength on phototactic behaviour of larval silver perch Bidyanus bidyanus and golden perch Macquana ambigua and the effectiveness of light traps

Larval golden perch, Macquaria ambigua , and silver perch, Bidyanus bidyanus , were exposed to light gradients in wavebands centred on 400, 496, 601 and 695 nm at nominal quantum irradiance values of 0–1, 1–0 and 10 μmol m⁻² s^−l. Silver perch larvae displayed stronger phototactic behaviour than golden perch, and both species were most responsive to light in the 601 nm waveband. The intensity of phototactic responses in both species was greater at higher irradiance levels. Enhanced responsiveness to longer wavelengths reflects possible adaptations to life in turbid habitats where the underwater light field is dominated by yellow/orange wavebands.
At night, traps fitted with 12 h yellow lightsticks attracted more golden perch larvae than traps with blue, green, orange, red or no lightstick. The efficacy of yellow lightsticks may be due to yellow/orange wavebands not being attenuated under water as rapidly as blue or red wavebands. Yellow lightsticks also emit a greater intensity of light over a longer time than other colours tested, which may have increased the effectiveness of yellow traps. Light traps were ineffective during the day.     

Evidence of predatory control of yellow perch (Perca flavescens) recruitment in Lake Erie, U.S.A.

Predation can be a major factor in recruitment success of yellow perch ( Perca flavescens Mitchitl). Trawl catches of age-0 yellow perch in western Lake Erie declined from 870·3 per trawling h in June to 3·3 per trawling h in late July 1988. Coincident with the decline in relative abundance of age-0 yellow perch we found large numbers of age-0 yellow perch in the stomachs of small walleyes ( Stizostedion vitreum Mitchill). From this evidence we hypothesized that predation by walleyes may have caused the demise of the 1988 year-class of yellow perch. We used a population and bioenergetics modelling approach to estimate the impact of walleye predation on the abundance of age-0 yellow perch. Modelling showed that 6·8 × 10⁹ age-0 yellow perch that had attained 18 mm total length ( t.l. ), were eaten by small (age-2 and younger) walleye from June through July 1988. We estimated that walleye ate 28·4–89·7% of the yellow perch reaching 18 mm t.l. during 1988. The majority of this predation (77% of total) was by the abundant age-2 cohort of walleyes. We concluded that, even in a large system such as Lake Erie, predation can play a major role in structuring year-class strength of yellow perch and, thus, management of percid fisheries should be conducted on a fish-community basis.     

Growth responses of yellow perch,Perca flavescens (Mitchill), to lake acidification in the La Cloche Mountain Lakes of Ontario

Synopsis Acidification of the lakes of the La Cloche Mountains, Ontario, has reduced population densities of the yellow perch. Yellow perch of age groups 1 to 3 responded with increased rates of growth. Yellow perch of age groups 4 to 9 responded with reduced rates of growth. On the basis of these findings it is suggested that the growth rate of yellow perch may serve as a valuable indicator of environmental stress. Based on a thesis submitted by P.M.R. in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in the University of Toronto.     

Perch or plankton: top‐down control of Daphnia by yellow perch (Perca flavescens) or Bythotrephes cederstroemi in an inland lake?

1. Seasonal termination of the vernal clear-water phase in Long Lake, Grand Traverse Co., Michigan coincided with severe size-selective predation on juvenile Daphnia pulicaria from 0.8 to 1.8 mm in length. This could be caused by predation by age-0 yellow perch ( Perca flavescens ) or by the exotic predatory zooplankter Bythotrephes cederstroemi .
2. During the initial decline of Daphnia , Ivlev's electivity coefficient for yellow perch from 15.0 to 20.0 mm in length was 0.50 for copepods and −0.75 for D. pulicaria .
3. Bioenergetics modelling of both yellow perch and Bythotrephes demonstrates that, during the initial Daphnia decline, Bythotrephes consumed 1.5–5 times greater total mass than yellow perch. Furthermore, models in which Bythotrephes consumed juvenile Daphnia were more consistent with the timing of the Daphnia decline than those in which yellow perch consumed juvenile Daphnia .
4. The invasion of Bythotrephes into Long Lake seems to be a significant perturbation, introducing effects that propagate throughout the food chain. Bythotrephes created a possible bottleneck for age-0 yellow perch in late June by suppressing Daphnia .     

Characterization of a Y‐specific duplication/insertion of the anti‐Mullerian hormone type II receptor gene based on a chromosome‐scale genome assembly of yellow perch,Perca flavescens

Yellow perch, Perca flavescens, is an ecologically and economically important species native to a large portion of the northern United States and southern Canada and is also a promising candidate species for aquaculture. However, no yellow perch reference genome has been available to facilitate improvements in both fisheries and aquaculture management practices. By combining Oxford Nanopore Technologies long‐reads, 10X Genomics Illumina short linked reads and a chromosome contact map produced with Hi‐C, we generated a high‐continuity chromosome‐scale yellow perch genome assembly of 877.4 Mb. It contains, in agreement with the known diploid chromosome yellow perch count, 24 chromosome‐size scaffolds covering 98.8% of the complete assembly (N50 = 37.4 Mb, L50 = 11). We also provide a first characterization of the yellow perch sex determination locus that contains a male‐specific duplicate of the anti‐Mullerian hormone type II receptor gene (amhr2by) inserted at the proximal end of the Y chromosome (chromosome 9). Using this sex‐specific information, we developed a simple PCR genotyping assay which accurately differentiates XY genetic males (amhr2by⁺) from XX genetic females (amhr2by^?). Our high‐quality genome assembly is an important genomic resource for future studies on yellow perch ecology, toxicology, fisheries and aquaculture research. In addition, characterization of the amhr2by gene as a candidate sex‐determining gene in yellow perch provides a new example of the recurrent implication of the transforming growth factor beta pathway in fish sex determination, and highlights gene duplication as an important genomic mechanism for the emergence of new master sex determination genes.     

Gape limitation and piscine prey size‐selection by yellow perch in the extreme southern area of Lake Michigan, with emphasis on two exotic prey items

The trophic linkage between yellow perch Perca flavescens and two exotic prey items, alewife Alosa pseudoharengus and round goby Neogobius melanostomus , was investigated in the extreme southern area of Lake Michigan during the summer of 2002. Yellow perch ≥100 mm total length, L _T( n  = 1293) exhibited size selective feeding, with 148 fish containing round gobies and 120 fish containing alewives. The mean round goby L _T, preyed on by yellow perch, was 23% of the predator L _T, with a range of 7 to 47%, and mean alewife L _T was 32% of yellow perch L _T, with a range of 18 to 46%. Although the selection of prey size by yellow perch increased proportionally with yellow perch L _T, prey consumed appeared smaller than theoretically possible based on gape size.     

Rapid and unexpected effects of piscivore introduction on trophic position and diet of perch (Perca flavescens) in lakes recovering from acidification and metal contamination

1. Yellow perch (Perca flavescens) are often the only surviving fish species in acidified lakes. We studied four lakes along a gradient of recovery from acidification and that had different food web complexities. All had abundant yellow perch, two had low piscivore abundance, one had a well‐established piscivore population and one was manipulated by introducing piscivorous smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu). We hypothesised that there would be strong effects on perch abundance, behaviour and diet induced by the presence of piscivores. 2. In the manipulated lake, the bass reduced yellow perch abundance by 75% over a 2‐year period. Concomitantly, perch use of the pelagic habitat fell from 48 to 40%. 3. In contrast to findings from less disturbed systems, yellow perch in the littoral zone of the manipulated lake did not strongly shift from zooplankton to benthic food sources after the arrival of piscivores. Diet analysis using stable carbon isotopes revealed a strong continued reliance on zooplankton in all lakes, independent of the degree of piscivory. The failure to switch to benthos in the refuge area of the littoral zone is most likely related to the depauperate benthos communities in these formerly acidified lakes. 4. Yellow perch in lakes recovering from acidification face a considerable ecological challenge as the necessary switch to benthic diet is hindered by a low abundance of benthos. The arrival of piscivores in these recovering lakes imposes further restrictions on perch access to food items. We infer that future recovery of perch populations (and higher trophic levels) will have to be preceded by the re‐establishment of diverse benthic macroinvertebrate communities in these lakes.     

Space use and feeding patterns of an offshore fish assemblage in a shallow mesotrophic lake

Synopsis Diel and spring/summer space-use and feeding patterns were investigated in an assemblage dominated by five fish species occupying the offshore waters of Lake Opinicon, a shallow mesotrophic lake in southeastern Ontario. We assessed fish distribution and diel movement in May and July through the use of gill nets set at various depths in 1.5–7.0 m depth contour zones, supplemented by observations of fish reaction to the nets. Golden shiners and alewives occupied the upper part of the water column, with the former concentrated at the littoral zone-open water interface, and the latter in the open water. Yellow perch occupied the lower part of the water column in all depth contours. Bluegills were abundant in the upper to midwater depths in all contour zones; black crappies were concentrated in the 2.5–3.5 m zones. All of these species showed either a diel or a spring-summer change in distribution pattern. Bluegills were more abundant in offshore locations in July, whereas golden shiners and yellow perch were more abundant onshore in May. Alewives and black crappies showed distinct diel movements in July, as they were largely absent from the study area during the day, but returned at night to feed. In general, there was more spatial separation among the five species in July than in May.Patterns of spatial distribution among the species generally corresponded with the type and variety of prey consumed, and with diel movement of prey in the case of water column feeders. Other factors that apparently affected spatial distribution and seasonal shifts in this assemblage were risk of predation (golden shiner), spawning activity (alewife), and a decline in prey abundance from spring to summer (bluegill and yellow perch).     

Molecular characterization and sex-specific tissue expression of estrogen receptor alpha (esr1), estrogen receptor betaa (esr2a) and ovarian aromatase (cyp19a1a) in yellow perch (Perca flavescens)

Yellow perch (Perca flavescens) exhibits an estrogen-stimulated sexual size dimorphism (SSD) wherein females grow faster and larger than males. To aid in the examination of this phenomenon, the cDNA sequences encoding estrogen receptor-alpha (esr1), estrogen receptor-betaa (esr2a) and ovarian aromatase (cyp19a1a) for the teleost yellow perch were obtained. Several tissues were analyzed from both male and female adult yellow perch for sex-specific tissue expression. The full length cDNAs of yellow perch esr1, esr2a and cyp19a1a consist of 3052 bp, 2462 bp and 1859 bp with open reading frames encoding putative proteins of 576 amino acids, 555 amino acids and 518 amino acids, respectively. Esr1 and esr2a expression was highest in female ovary and liver tissues with low to moderate expression in other tissues. Esr2a showed a more global tissue expression pattern than esr1, particularly in males but also in females. Cyp19a1a expression was highest in both male and female spleen tissue and oocytes with moderate expression in male pituitary and gill tissue. Cyp19a1a expression was moderately high in female liver tissue with undetectable expression in male liver tissue, suggesting its involvement in sexually dimorphic growth. These sequences are valuable molecular tools that can be used in future studies investigating estrogen mechanisms and actions, such as SSD, in yellow perch.     

Cortisol responses of pallid sturgeon and yellow perch following challenge with lipopolysaccharide

Plasma cortisol responses of pallid sturgeon Scaphirhynchus albus and yellow perch Perca flavescens following injection with equal doses of lipopolysaccharide were compared. Concentrations of cortisol in plasma from pallid sturgeon did not change following injection (6·0–11·0 v. 6·4 ng l⁻¹ pre-stress) while in yellow perch plasma they were shown to increase up to 6 h (117·0 v. 9·8 ng l⁻¹ pre-stress) after the injection. These results are consistent with other reports for pallid sturgeon that illustrate a reduced cortisol response following other applied stressors relative to teleosts and suggest differences in the expression and regulation of their inflammatory responses.     

Food selection and growth of young snakehead Channa striatus

Food selection and growth of young snakehead Channa striatus were studied in the laboratory and in a field trial. In the laboratory, first-feeding snakehead larvae of 6–7 mm total length (TL) with a mouth opening of 0.55 mm selected for Artemia nauplii, and against formulated feed. Fish began feeding on formulated feed at 12mm TL when their mouth width reached 1.0mm. In both laboratory and field trials, snakehead diets changed as fish size increased. For fish 15–20 mm TL, cladocerans and copepods were 96.5% of their diet. With fish 30–40 mm TL, zooplankton consumption was greatly reduced while benthic organism consumption increased. Fish 45–50 mm TL fed exclusively on benthic invertebrates. Diet shift from zoo-plankton to benthic invertebrates was not due to reduced zoo-plankton availability, but was instead related to changes in gill raker structure. Low density of benthic invertebrates in the field trial caused reduced fish growth rates when fish switched diets from zooplankton to benthos. Our results indicate that snake-head can take Artemia nauplii as a larval starter food, then accept formulated feed at ≥12 mm TL. Zooplankton can serve as food for snakehead < 40 mm, but formulated feed should be provided for larger fish which are unable to catch zoo-plankton.     

Predicting the growth of age-0 yellow perch populations from measures of whole-lake productivity

SUMMARY. 1. The relationship was examined between four measures of lake productivity [total phosphorus (TP) and chlorophyll a (Chl a) concentrations, zooplankton density and biomass] and growth in length and weight of age-0 yellow perch in ten central Alberta lakes.
2. In these lakes, average summer TP and Chl a levels were in the range 11–51 and 1.4–19.5 μg1⁻¹, respectively. The interaction of TP and Chl a could explain 61% and 57% of the variance in total length and wet weight, respectively, of age-0 yellow perch sampled at the end of August.
3. The ability to predict first year fish growth from lake productivity is strongest at low levels of productivity (TP<35μgl⁻¹). In the lakes studied, fish community structure is more complex at high levels of productivity (TP>35μg1⁻¹), and more data on complex community level interactions seem necessary to predict fish growth in these systems.     

Characterization of the cortisol response following an acute challenge with lipopolysaccharide in yellow perch and the influence of rearing density

Two experiments were performed to characterize the corticosteroid response of yellow perch Perca flavescens following an intraperitoneal injection of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and determine if sustained differences in rearing density alter this response. In the first experiment, yellow perch were injected with LPS (3 mg kg⁻¹), saline, or handled without receiving any injection. Concentrations of cortisol in plasma were elevated in all groups relative to non‐disturbed fish at 1·5 and 3 h after handling but by 6 h after injection the mean concentration of cortisol in plasma from LPS‐injected yellow perch were three to five times higher than fish before injection and significantly larger than groups of fish not treated with LPS. In the second test, yellow perch were held at different rearing densities (9 v . 18-19 kg m⁻³) for 3, 7 and 14 days before injection with LPS (3 mg kg⁻¹). The cortisol response of yellow perch following LPS injection of fish held for 14 days at high density was significantly lower than that of fish held at the low density for the same duration. Additionally a trend of a decreased cortisol response to LPS injection as duration of holding increased was observed among fish held at high density relative to fish held at low density. These data illustrate that the corticosteroid response of yellow perch following LPS injection is distinct from handling alone and that the magnitude of the response is impacted by rearing density.     

Use of Biochronology to Examine Interactions of Freshwater Drum, Walleye and Yellow Perch in the Red Lakes of Minnesota

Growth histories for freshwater drum, Aplodinotus grunniens, walleye, Stizostedion vitreum, and yellow perch, Perca flavescens, were constructed using calcified structures for the period 1947 through 1996 for the Red Lakes, Minnesota. Increased walleye growth and decreased yellow perch growth were observed over the period from 1983 to 1996, which are attributed to intensive fishing resulting in decreased intraspecific competition in walleye and increased intraspecific competition in yellow perch through release from predation. Strong year-classes of yellow perch were positively correlated with walleye growth (r=0.57, p-value=0.042). There was no evidence for interactions of walleye or yellow perch with freshwater drum. Freshwater drum growth (r=0.680, p-value=0.0001) was more highly correlated with temperature than were walleye (r=0.386, p-value=0.006) and yellow perch growth (r=0.303, p-value=0.036).     

Growth, ingestion rates and metabolic activity of walleye in lakes with and without lake herring

Growth efficiencies, ingestions rates and activity levels of walleye Sander vitreus were compared in lakes with and without lake herring Coregonus artedi . Yellow perch Perca flavescens were the main prey in lakes without lake herring. Walleye were sampled in September and October from 38 lakes in Ontario in 1998 and 1999, using multimesh monofilament gillnets. Ingestion rates were estimated from annual increments in somatic mercury and body mass, and the mercury content of yellow perch and lake herring. Walleye had higher growth efficiencies, and lower ingestion and activity rates in lakes with lake herring. Lake herring grow larger than yellow perch and therefore could provide more profitable prey for larger walleye. The results are consistent with optimal foraging theory that predicts that walleye feeding on optimal prey sizes should grow more efficiently, if the ratio of feeding benefit (energy) to cost (search and seizure) is a function of the ratio of predator and prey size.     

Mensurative approach to examine potential interactions between age-0 yellow perch (Perca flavescens) and bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus)

Bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus) and yellow perch (Perca flavescens) populations are often sympatric in the Great Plains region of the U.S.A. and portions of Canada; however, very little attention has been given to potential interactions between these species for available resources, especially during the early life stages. Relationships between age-0 bluegill and yellow perch growth and relative abundance were explored across multiple lakes and years within the Nebraska Sandhill region, USA. In addition, four habitat patch types (open water, Phragmites spp., Typha spp., Scirpus spp.) were sampled for age-0 bluegill and yellow perch, and food habits were examined for each species during August, September, and October of 2009 in one of these lakes. Age-0 yellow perch growth was negatively related to age-0 bluegill relative abundance across a spatiotemporal scale. Age-0 bluegill and yellow perch exhibited similar habitat use (moderate–high overlap), but generally consumed different important and dominant prey taxa (bluegill consumed both macroinvertebrates—56?% and zooplankton—44?%, while yellow perch consumed more zooplankton—66?%), which resulted in low overall diet overlap between species. Previous research indicates that age-0 yellow perch diet ontogeny often results in feeding predominately on macroinvertebrates and positively selecting them (and avoiding zooplankton prey) at sizes observed in our study. Therefore, yellow perch growth rates may be compromised by the presence of bluegill because of the need to consume less energetically profitable prey items such as zooplankton.     

Sex control and ploidy manipulations in yellow perch (Perca flavescens) and walleye (Stizostedion vitreum)

In both yellow perch ( Perca flavescens ) and walleye ( Stizostedion vitreum ), females grow significantly faster and reach a larger ultimate size than males. In addition, reproductive development in both of these species can have a significant negative impact on somatic growth and fillet yield. Accordingly, methods for producing monosex female populations and for inducing sterility, have important potential applications for both commercial fish culture and fisheries management. Of the several available methods for producing monosex female populations in fishes (such as yellow perch and walleye) in which females are homogametic, the preferred method (described herein) may be to treat juveniles with androgens to induce phenotypic sex inversion of genetic females, and to subsequently use sperm from these females to fertilize normal eggs. Initial efforts at inducing sterility focused on the direct use of either heat or hydrostatic pressure shocks to produce triploid yellow perch and walleye. The gonadal development of triploid yellow perch and walleye of both sexes is retarded compared to that of diploids, and triploid yellow perch can have higher fillet yields than diploids. The direct use of heat and pressure shocks to induce triploidy in yellow perch, however, has negative effects on growth that are independent of ploidy status. One way to circumvent this problem is to produce triploids by crossing fertile tetraploids with diploids. To date, methods of producing viable tetraploids (beyond the larval stage) have been developed for yellow perch but not for walleye.     

Decrease in young-of-the-year yellow perch growth rates following <Emphasis Type="Italic">Bythotrephes longimanus</Emphasis> invasion

Bythotrephes longimanus, an invasive zooplankter from Eurasia, has caused severe declines in native zooplankton communities in Rainy and Kabetogama lakes in northern Minnesota. Both lakes have experienced a 40–60% decrease in peak summer zooplankton biomass following B. longimanus establishment around 2006–2007. In these lakes, yellow perch (Perca flavescens) are a key fishery species, and young-of-the-year (YOY) yellow perch are mainly planktivorous during their first summer. This led to concern that their growth could be detrimentally affected by the depletion of zooplankton forage. We used seining data to compare growth rates of YOY yellow perch before (2001–2005) and after (2008–2012) B. longimanus establishment in Rainy and Kabetogama lakes. Nearby Lake Vermilion, assumed to have been unaffected by B. longimanus during this time period, was used as a reference for natural variation in YOY growth in the region. YOY yellow perch length was modeled as a linear function of cumulative growing degree days (GDD) throughout the summer, and the slope of the relationship was compared between pre- and post-B. longimanus time periods for the three study lakes. The two lakes with B. longimanus showed similar decreases in YOY yellow perch growth rate relative to GDD, whereas Lake Vermilion showed no evidence of a decline in growth rates during this period. The reduction in growth rates resulted in an approximate 10% decrease in mean length of YOY yellow perch at the end of the summer after B. longimanus establishment, which could lead to further effects of this invasive zooplankter at higher trophic levels.     

Yellow perch genetic structure and habitat use among connected habitats in eastern Lake Michigan

Maintenance of genetic and phenotypic diversity is widely recognized as an important conservation priority, yet managers often lack basic information about spatial patterns of population structure and its relationship with habitat heterogeneity and species movement within it. To address this knowledge gap, we focused on the economically and ecologically prominent yellow perch (Perca flavescens). In the Lake Michigan basin, yellow perch reside in nearshore Lake Michigan, including drowned river mouths (DRMs)—protected, lake‐like habitats that link tributaries to Lake Michigan. The goal of this study was to examine the extent that population structure is associated with Great Lakes connected habitats (i.e., DRMs) in a mobile fish species using yellow perch as a model. Specifically, we tested whether DRMs and eastern Lake Michigan constitute distinct genetic stocks of yellow perch, and if so, whether those stocks migrate between the two connected habitats throughout the year. To do so, we genotyped yellow perch at 14 microsatellite loci collected from 10 DRMs in both deep and littoral habitats during spring, summer, and autumn and two nearshore sites in Lake Michigan (spring and autumn) during 2015–2016 and supplemented our sampling with fish collected in 2013. We found that yellow perch from littoral‐DRM habitats were genetically distinct from fish captured in nearshore Lake Michigan. Our data also suggested that Lake Michigan yellow perch likely use deep‐DRM habitats during autumn. Further, we found genetic structuring among DRMs. These patterns support hypotheses of fishery managers that yellow perch seasonally migrate to and from Lake Michigan, yet, interestingly, these fish do not appear to interbreed with littoral fish despite occupying the same DRM. We recommend that fisheries managers account for this complex population structure and movement when setting fishing regulations and assessing the effects of harvest in Lake Michigan.