Yellow Perch, Perca flavescens

range, yellow perch, Perca flavescens, are viewed variously as a sport fish, a valuable food fish, an important forage species, or a nuisance trash fish with little commercial or sport value. Attitudes toward yellow perch vary with its relative availability and with historical regional preferences. In much of the midwestern and central Atlantic areas of the United States and in central Canada, however, yellow perch are highly valued as food fish. Demand for this fish in the vicinity of the Great Lakes is particularly high, but commercial harvest of wild yellow perch has declined since the mid 20th century (Fig.1). Annual harvests from all the Great Lakes averaged more than 23 million pounds from 1950 to 1970, but just 5.75 million pounds from 1990 to 2000. The commercial harvest of yellow perch is prohibited in some areas because of low populations and closes periodically in other areas because of concerns about contaminants. Beginning in the 1970s, high market values and declining commercial catches prompted widespread interest in commercial culture of this species, primarily in midwestern states. Yellow perch flesh is very high quality, with a firm, flaky texture and mild flavor. The meat has less fat (<1 percent) than other popular cultured food fish, and also fewer calories per 100-gram serving (91). Yet it is high in protein (19.5 percent) and contains a modest level of omega-3 fatty acids (0.3 percent). The lower fat content of yellow perch can result in a longer shelf life. Yellow perch have a variety of regional names, including lake perch, ringed perch, raccoon perch, Ned, yellow Ned, redfin and redfin perch. The fish are long and slender, gold to brassy green on the dorsal surface and sides, and usually have six to eight vertical black bars on each side (Fig. 2). There are two dorsal fins, with the first supported by sharp spines and the second by VI PR July 2006 SRAC Publication No. 7204