Perca fluviatilis (perch)

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Adult

Perca fluviatilis (perch); adult fish.

©Christa Rohrbach/via wikipedia - CC BY-SA 2.0

Identity

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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

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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

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

Description

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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

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

Distribution Table

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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.

Last updated: 10 Feb 2022

Continent/Country/Region	Distribution	Origin	First Reported	Reference	Notes
Africa
Algeria	Present	Introduced	2006	Seebens et al. (2017)
Morocco	Present	Introduced	1939	Seebens et al. (2017) Fishbase (2004)
South Africa	Present	Introduced	1915	Seebens et al. (2017) Fishbase (2004)
Asia
Afghanistan	Present	Native		Fishbase (2004)
Armenia	Present	Native		Fishbase (2004)
Azerbaijan	Present	Native		Fishbase (2004)
China	Present	Introduced		Seebens et al. (2017) Fishbase (2004)	First reported: 1960s
Georgia	Present	Native		Fishbase (2004)
Iran	Present	Native		Fishbase (2004)
Kazakhstan	Present	Native		Fishbase (2004)
Mongolia	Present	Native		Fishbase (2004)
Turkey	Present	Native		Fishbase (2004)
Uzbekistan	Present	Native		Fishbase (2004)
Europe
Albania	Present	Native		Fishbase (2004)
Austria	Present	Native		Fishbase (2004)
Belgium	Present	Native		Fishbase (2004)
Bosnia and Herzegovina	Present	Native		Fishbase (2004)
Bulgaria	Present	Native		Froese and Pauly (2011)
Croatia	Present	Native		Froese and Pauly (2011)
Cyprus	Present	Introduced	1971	Seebens et al. (2017) Fishbase (2004)
Czechia	Present	Native		Fishbase (2004)
Denmark	Present	Native		Fishbase (2004)
Estonia	Present	Native		Fishbase (2004)
Finland	Present	Native		Fishbase (2004)
France	Present	Native		Fishbase (2004)
Germany	Present	Native		Fishbase (2004)
Greece	Present	Native		Froese and Pauly (2011)
Hungary	Present	Native		Fishbase (2004)
Ireland	Present	Native		Fishbase (2004) DAISIE (2011) Seebens et al. (2017)
Italy	Present	Introduced	1860	Seebens et al. (2017) Fishbase (2004)
Latvia	Present	Native		Fishbase (2004)
Liechtenstein	Present	Native		Fishbase (2004)
Lithuania	Present	Native		Fishbase (2004)
Luxembourg	Present	Native		Fishbase (2004)
Moldova	Present	Native		Froese and Pauly (2011)
Montenegro	Present	Native		Froese and Pauly (2011)
Netherlands	Present	Native		Fishbase (2004)
Norway	Present	Native		Fishbase (2004)
Poland	Present	Native		Fishbase (2004)
Portugal	Present	Introduced	2015	Seebens et al. (2017) Froese and Pauly (2011)
-Azores	Present	Introduced		DAISIE (2011) Froese and Pauly (2011)	Established
Romania	Present	Native		Fishbase (2004)
Russia	Present	Native		Fishbase (2004) DAISIE (2011)
Serbia and Montenegro	Present	Native		Fishbase (2004)
Slovakia	Present	Native		Fishbase (2004)
Slovenia	Present	Native		Froese and Pauly (2011)
Spain	Present	Introduced	1975	Seebens et al. (2017) Fishbase (2004)
Sweden	Present	Native		Fishbase (2004)
Switzerland	Present	Native		Fishbase (2004)
Ukraine	Present	Native		Fishbase (2004)
United Kingdom	Present	Native		Fishbase (2004)
Oceania
Australia	Present	Introduced		Fishbase (2004)
-Tasmania	Present	Introduced	1862	Seebens et al. (2017)
New Zealand	Present	Introduced	1867	Seebens et al. (2017) Fishbase (2004)

Introductions

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Introduced to	Introduced from	Year	Reason	Introduced by	Established in wild through		References	Notes
Introduced to	Introduced from	Year	Reason	Introduced by	Natural reproduction	Continuous restocking	References	Notes
Australia	UK	1868	Hunting, angling, sport or racing (pathway cause)	Unknown	Yes	No	DIAS (2004)
China		1970-1979		Unknown	Yes	No
Cyprus	UK	1971	Hunting, angling, sport or racing (pathway cause)	Unknown	Yes	No	DIAS (2004)
Ireland	UK	1700-1799	Hunting, angling, sport or racing (pathway cause)	Individual	Yes	No	DIAS (2004)
Italy		1860		Unknown	Yes	No
Morocco	Switzerland	1939	Hunting, angling, sport or racing (pathway cause)	Unknown	Yes	No	DIAS (2004)
New Zealand	Australia	1867		Unknown	Yes	No
South Africa	UK	1915	Hunting, angling, sport or racing (pathway cause)	Unknown	Yes	No	DIAS (2004)
Spain				Unknown	Yes	No	DIAS (2004)
Turkey			Aquaculture (pathway cause)	Unknown	No	Yes	DIAS (2004)

Habitat List

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Category	Habitat	Presence
Freshwater
Freshwater	Lakes	Present, no further details
Freshwater	Rivers / streams	Present, no further details
Freshwater	Ponds	Present, no further details
Brackish
Brackish	Estuaries	Present, no further details

Natural Food Sources

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Food Source	Food Source Datasheet	Life Stage	Contribution to Total Food Intake (%)	Details
	Artemia	Aquatic\|Fry; Aquatic\|Larval
	Copepoda	Aquatic\|Fry; Aquatic\|Larval
	Rotifera	Aquatic\|Fry; Aquatic\|Larval

Climate

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Climate	Status	Description	Remark
C - Temperate/Mesothermal climate	Preferred	Average temp. of coldest month > 0°C and < 18°C, mean warmest month > 10°C

Air Temperature

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Parameter	Lower limit	Upper limit
Mean maximum temperature of hottest month (ºC)		31

Water Tolerances

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Parameter	Minimum Value	Maximum Value	Typical Value	Status	Life Stage	Notes
Depth (m b.s.l.)	1	30	3-4	Optimum		In the wild
Illumination (Lux illuminance)	90	400		Optimum	Larval	In aquaculture
Water pH (pH)			7.0-7.5	Optimum		In the wild
Water temperature (ºC temperature)			>20	Harmful	Larval	In aquaculture
Water temperature (ºC temperature)			>20	Harmful	Fry	In aquaculture
Water temperature (ºC temperature)	17	20		Optimum	Larval	In aquaculture
Water temperature (ºC temperature)	17	20		Optimum	Fry	In aquaculture
Water temperature (ºC temperature)	22	24		Optimum	Adult	In aquaculture
Water temperature (ºC temperature)	31.4	33.5		Harmful	Adult	In aquaculture
Water temperature (ºC temperature)	10	22		Optimum		In the wild

Natural enemies

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Natural enemy	Type	Life stages	References
Anguilla anguilla	Predator	Aquatic\|Egg; Aquatic\|Fry; Aquatic\|Larval	Fishbase (2004)
Esox lucius	Predator	Aquatic\|Egg; Aquatic\|Fry; Aquatic\|Larval	Fishbase (2004)
Lota lota	Predator	Aquatic\|Egg; Aquatic\|Fry; Aquatic\|Larval	Fishbase (2004)
Salmo trutta	Predator	Aquatic\|Egg; Aquatic\|Fry; Aquatic\|Larval	Fishbase (2004)
Sander lucioperca	Predator	Aquatic\|Egg; Aquatic\|Fry; Aquatic\|Larval	Fishbase (2004)
Silurus glanis	Predator	Aquatic\|Egg; Aquatic\|Fry; Aquatic\|Larval	Fishbase (2004)

Pathway Causes

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Cause	Notes	Long Distance	Local	References
Stocking	May be stocked as a sport fish	Yes	Yes	ISSG (2011)

Pathway Vectors

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Vector	Notes	Long Distance	Local	References
Water	Swimming to new areas within a water body		Yes	ISSG (2011)

Impact Summary

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Category	Impact
Biodiversity (generally)	Negative
Native fauna	Negative

Environmental Impact

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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

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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

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Due to the variable regulations around (de)registration of pesticides, your national list of registered pesticides or relevant authority should be consulted to determine which products are legally allowed for use in your country when considering chemical control. Pesticides should always be used in a lawful manner, consistent with the product's label.

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

References

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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 References

CABI, Undated. CABI Compendium: Status as determined by CABI editor. Wallingford, UK: CABI

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

Fishbase, 2004. Species summary Entry for Perca fluviatilis. Main ref. Kottelat M, 1997. European freshwater fishes. In: Biologia, 52 (5) 1-271. http://www.fishbase.org

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

Seebens H, Blackburn T M, Dyer E E, Genovesi P, Hulme P E, Jeschke J M, Pagad S, Pyšek P, Winter M, Arianoutsou M, Bacher S, Blasius B, Brundu G, Capinha C, Celesti-Grapow L, Dawson W, Dullinger S, Fuentes N, Jäger H, Kartesz J, Kenis M, Kreft H, Kühn I, Lenzner B, Liebhold A, Mosena A (et al), 2017. No saturation in the accumulation of alien species worldwide. Nature Communications. 8 (2), 14435. http://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms14435

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Datasheet

Perca fluviatilis (perch)

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