Yellow Perch - Perca flavescens

Habitat requirements and life history: The yellow perch is a native fish and a true perch that inhabits nearly every river, lake and pond in Massachusetts. Yellow perch are vary adaptable but are common in clear, open water with moderate vegetation. They are generally intolerant of pollutants and heavy siltation. They gather in like-size schools and usually swim very close to the bottom. They feed on small fish, insects, crustaceans and other invertebrates. Yellow perch spawn in early spring, broadcasting their eggs in long, gelatinous strands that adhere to aquatic vegetation or settle to the bottom. (Sources: Massachusetts Wildlife, No. 2, 2000, Special Fishing Issue and Freshwater Fishes of the Carolinas, Virginia, Maryland, & Delaware)

Photo credit: Bill Byrne, MA Division of Fisheries and Wildlife

Total length: 8-12 inches
Pollution tolerance (US EPA): Intermediate tolerance
Classification: Macrohabitat generalist

Number of fish found during 1954 & 2001 Fish Surveys*

*Data sources:
DFW. 2001. Assabet Watershed Fish Survey. Mass. Division of Fisheries and Wildlife (MassWildlife), Westborough, MA.

Schlotterbeck, L.C. and W.A. Tompkins. 1954. "A Fisheries Investigation of the Merrimack and Ipswich River Drainages." Bureau of Wildlife Research and Management, Mass. Division of Fisheries and Wildlife, Westborough, MA.