WIldlife Quiz - Yellow Perch

Yellow Perch
The yellow perch, (Perca flavescens) belongs to the Percidae or perch family of fishes. Yellow perch are native to the North American continent but dispersed widely from its original predominant range of the eastern United States and Canada due to its popularity as a sport and commercial game fish. Yellow perch have gold or yellow colored bodies and possess unmistakable dark vertical stripes. This unusual color pattern has given them the nickname “tiger trout” by anglers. The dorsal fin, contains several sharp spines that work to protect the fish from predators and provide unsuspecting anglers with an unpleasant surprise.

Yellow perch are a relatively diminutive species of game fish, averaging between 5-8 ounces. It is not uncommon in health yellow perch waters, to occasionally catch large adults reaching 10 inches and weighing 10 ounces.

*The largest yellow perch caught in Maine was a monsterous1 pound 10 ounces behemoth taken out of Worthley Pond in East Peru, it currently stands as the state record.

A gregarious species, yellow perch often travel in large schools, making fishing for this delectable game fish exciting once anglers locate them. Rarely taken from waters more than 30 feet deep, yellow perch tend to prefer living a majority of their lives eating and breeding in shallow waters. Perch are prolific breeders, with male yellow perch reaching sexual maturity at three years of age, females at four. Perch spawn in the spring, typically in April and June. Mating occurs with females first releasing a sticky, gelatinous mass of eggs that adheres to dense vegetation and fallen trees. During the spawning season, males release milt around the eggs to fertilize them. Eggs and sperm are randomly mixed and soon after fertilization, the young hatch.

Yellow perch typically live 9-10 years Body size predominantly determines the diets of yellow perch. Juvenile yellow perch eat small insects like mosquitoes while the larger adult yellow perch dine on crayfish and the eggs and fry of other fish. In turn, bass, walleye and northern pike all prey on perch. 

Wildlife Quiz Questions: 
1. What family of fishes do yellow perch belong?
2. What is the primary defense weapon of the yellow perch?
3. What is the native range of the yellow perch?
4. What do male yellow perch release on the female yellow perch eggs to fertilize them?
5. What was the weight of the biggest yellow perch caught in Maine?
6. What is the average weight of an adult yellow perch?
7. When is the mating season for the yellow perch?
8. What is the average life span of a yellow perch?
9. What fish species prey on yellow perch?

Wildlife Quiz Answers:
1. Yellow perch belong to the Percidae or perch family of fishes.
2. The primary defense weapon of the yellow perch is a dorsal fin, containing several sharp spines that help protect the fish from predators.
3. The native range of the yellow perch runs across the eastern United States and Canada.
4. The male yellow perch releases milt onto the female’s eggs to fertilize them.
5. The biggest yellow perch caught in Maine weighed 1 pound, 10 ounces.
6. The average weight of an adult yellow perch is 5-8 ounces.
7. The mating season for the yellow perch runs from April to June.
8. The average life span of a yellow perch is 9-10 years.
9. Yellow perch are preyed upon by bass, walleye and northern pike.