Perca fluviatilis
(perch)

Pictures

Picture	Title	Caption	Copyright
Title Adult Caption Perca fluviatilis (perch or European perch); adult fish. Copyright ©Christa Rohrbach - CC BY-SA 2.0	Adult	Perca fluviatilis (perch or European perch); adult fish.	©Christa Rohrbach - CC BY-SA 2.0

Identity

Preferred Scientific Name

• Perca fluviatilis Linnaeus, 1758

Preferred Common Name

• perch

Other Scientific Names

• Perca fluviatilis aurea Smitt, 1892
• Perca fluviatilis gibba Smitt, 1892
• Perca fluviatilis gracilis Pokrovsky, 1951
• Perca fluviatilis intermedius Svetovidov and Dorofeyeva. 1963
• Perca fluviatilis macedonica Karaman, 1924
• Perca fluviatilis maculata Smitt, 1892
• Perca fluviatilis nigrescens Heckel, 1837
• Perca fluviatilis phragmiteti Berg, 1933
• Perca fluviatilis zaissanica Dianov, 1955
• Perca helvetica Gronow, 1854
• Perca italica Cuvier, 1828
• Perca vulgaris Schaeffer, 1761
• Perca vulgaris aurata Fitzinger, 1832

International Common Names

• English: Eurasian perch; European perch
• French: barsch; boyat; brell; cochonnet
• Russian: okun

Local Common Names

• Austria: flußbarsch
• Bulgaria: kostur
• Czech Republic: okoun ricni
• Denmark: aborre
• Finland: ahven
• Germany: bahrs; barsch; berse; bersich; egli
• Iceland: aborri
• Iran: bachen suf
• Ireland: an pheirse mhara
• Netherlands: baars
• Norway: abbor; åbor
• Romania: biban
• Sweden: abborre

Summary of Invasiveness

Several countries have reported adverse ecological impacts after the introduction of P. fluviatilis (Froese and Pauly, 2011). One such example is in the Murray-Darling Basin, South Australia, where it is considered a threat to native fish species.

Taxonomic Tree

• Domain: Eukaryota
•     Kingdom: Metazoa
•         Phylum: Chordata
•             Subphylum: Vertebrata
•                 Class: Actinopterygii
•                     Order: Perciformes
•                         Suborder: Percoidei
•                             Family: Percidae
•                                 Genus: Perca
•                                     Species: Perca fluviatilis

Description

The colour of the perch depends on the habitat in which they live. In shallow areas where light penetration is good, they tend to be darkly coloured whereas in poorly lit areas without vegetation they are lightly coloured. Carotenoids, derived from crustaceans in the diet, sometimes make them deeply reddish-yellow. The dorsal surface is usually bright green to olive which extends down the sides in seven tapering bars. The sides are yellow to yellow-green and the ventral surface grey to white. The eyes are green to yellow, as are the caudal and dorsal fins. The first spine of the dorsal fin is often black and the membrane between spines one and two and that between the last four or five spines is also blackish. The pectoral fins are amber and transparent whereas the pelvic and anal fins are silver-white to yellow and opaque. Some perch have been observed to be entirely black. Male perch have thicker skin than females for most of the year (Lindesjöö, 1994). Regardless of sex, the epidermis is thickest in the prespawning period whereas the dermis is thickest after spawning. The body feels rough to the touch as a result of low mucus production and the presence of ctenoid scales. There are 51-61 scales along the lateral line.

It is difficult to determine the sex from external appearances; the gravid female however is more rounded and the male expels milt on handling.

Adult perch can reach a maximum length of 51 cm and weight of 4.75 kg, average length being 35 cm and average weight 1.20 kg.

Distribution

Native to Eurasia, P. fluviatilis has been widely introduced as a sport fish.

Distribution Table

The distribution in this summary table is based on all the information available. When several references are cited, they may give conflicting information on the status. Further details may be available for individual references in the Distribution Table Details section which can be selected by going to Generate Report.

Introductions

Habitat List

Natural Food Sources

Climate

Air Temperature

Water Tolerances

Natural enemies

Pathway Causes

Pathway Vectors

Impact Summary

Environmental Impact

Several countries have reported adverse ecological impacts after the introduction of P. fluviatilis (Froese and Pauly, 2011). For further details see ISSG (2011).

Uses List

General

• Sport (hunting, shooting, fishing, racing)
• Sport fish

Human food and beverage

• Fresh meat
• Frozen meat
• Live product for human consumption
• Whole

Prevention and Control

For more information on the management of this species see ISSG (2011).

References

Abi-Ayad SM; Melard C; Kestemont P, 1997. Effects of n-3 fatty acids in Eurasian perch broodstock diet on egg fatty acid composition and larvae stress resistance. Aquaculture International, 5:161-168.

Brown PB; Barrows FT, 2002. Percids. Nutrient requirements and feeding of finfish for aquaculture, 219-229.

Craig JF, 1977. Seasonal changes in the day and night activity of adult perch, Perca fluviatilis L. Journal of Fish Biology, 11:161-166.

Craig JF, 2000. Percid fishes: systematics, ecology and exploitation. Percid fishes: systematics, ecology and exploitation., xvi + 352 pp.; [many ref].

Dabrowski K; Culver DA; Brooks CL; Voss AC; Binkowski FP; Yeo SE; Balogun AM, 1993. Biochemical aspects of the early life history of yellow perch (Perca flavescens). In: Kaushik SJ, Luquet P, eds. Fish nutrition in practice, 531-539.

DAISIE, 2011. European Invasive Alien Species Gateway. http://www.europe-aliens.org/

DIAS, 2004. FAO Database on Introductions of Aquatic Species. Online at www.fao.org/figis/. Accessed 25 February 2005.

Fabricius E, 1956. Hur abborren leker. Zoologist Revy, 18:48-55.

Filatov GP; Duplakov SN, 1926. Materialen zur kenntuis der fische des Aral Sees. Bulletin de l’Universite de l’Asie Centrale, Tashkent, 24:203-230.

Fiogbé ED; Kestemont P; Mélard C; Micha JC, 1996. The effects of dietary crude protein on growth of the Eurasian perch Perca fluviatilis. Aquaculture, 144(1/3):239-249; 34 ref.

Fiogbe ED; Kestemont P; Micha JC; Melard C, 1995. Comparative growth of Perca fluviatilis larvae fed with enriched or standard Artemia metanaupli, frozen Artemia nauplii or dry food. In: Larvi ‘95, Fish and Shellfish Larviculture Symposium. Lavens P, Jaspers E, Roelands I, eds. EAS Special Publication, 24:166-169.

Fishbase, 2004. Species summary Entry for Perca fluviatilis. Main ref. Kottelat M, 1997. European freshwater fishes. Biologia 52, Suppl. 5:1-271. Online at www.fishbase.org. Accessed 25/02/2004.

Froese R; Pauly D, 2011. FishBase. http://www.fishbase.org

Hergenrader GL, 1969. Spawning behaviour of perca flavescens in aquaria. Copeia, 1969:839-841.

ISSG, 2011. Global Invasive Species Database (GISD). Invasive Species Specialist Group of the IUCN Species Survival Commission. http://www.issg.org/database

Kestemont P; Melard C, 2000. Aquaculture. In: Craig JF, ed. Percid fishes. London, UK: Blackwell Scientific Publishers, 191-224.

Kestemont P; Vandeloise E; Mélard C; Fontaine P; Brown PB, 2001. Growth and nutritional status of Eurasian perch Perca fluviatilis fed graded levels of dietary lipids with or without added ethoxyquin. Aquaculture, 203(1/2):85-99.

Kucharczyk D; Kujawa R; Mamcarz A, 1996. New experimental incubation unit for eggs of the perch Perca fluviatilis. Progressive Fish-Culturist, 58(4):281-283.

Kucharczyk D; Kujawa R; Mamcarz A; Skrzypczak A; Wyszomirska E, 1996. Induced spawning in perch, Perca fluviatilis L., using carp pituitary extract and HCG. Aquaculture Research, 27(11):847-852.

Lindesjöö E, 1994. Temporal variation and sexual dimorphism of the skin of perch Perca fluviatilis L.: a morphological study. Journal of Applied Ichthyology, 10:154-166.

Lindroth A, 1947. Time of activity of freshwater fish spermatozoa in relation to temperature. Zoologiska Bidrag fran Uppsala, 25:218-219.

Melard C; Kestemont P, 1994. Diversification de la pisciculture en Region wallone. Mise au point de l’elevage intensif de nouvelles especes de consomnation et de repeuplement - cyprinides et percides. rapport de recherches a la region wallone, ULG, FUNDP, Belgium, March 1994.

Piironen J; Hyvarinen H, 1983. Composition of the milt of some teleost fishes. Journal of Fish Biology, 22(3):351-361.

Tamazouzt L, 1995. L’alimentation artificielle de la perche, Perca fluviatilis, en milieux confines (eau recyclee, cage flottante). PhD thesis. Nancy, France: Universite H. Poincare.

Tamazouzt L; Dubois JP; Fontaine P, 1993. Current production and markets for perch in Europe. Pisciculture Française, 4(114):4-8; [4 tab., 1 fig.].

Treasurer JW, 1981. Some aspects of the reproductive biology of perch Perca fluviatilis L. Fecundity, maturation and spawning behaviour. Journal of Fish Biology, 18(6):729-740.

Xu XL; Fontaine P; Melard C; Kestemont P, 2000. Effects of different dietary fat levels on growth, feed efficiency, lipid composition and histological changes of Eurasian perch Perca fluviatilis. In: Aqua 2000, Nice: France, p. 758.

Distribution Maps