European perch

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

European perch

Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Perciformes
Family: Percidae
Genus: Perca
Species:
P. fluviatilis
Binomial name
Perca fluviatilis
Linnaeus, 1758
Distribution:
  native range
  introduced range
Synonyms[2]

The European perch (Perca fluviatilis), also known as the common perch, redfin perch, big-scaled redfin, English perch, Euro perch, Eurasian perch, Eurasian river perch, Hatch, poor man's rockfish or in

Anglophone parts of Europe, simply the perch, is a predatory freshwater fish native to Europe and North Asia. It is the type species of the genus Perca
.

The perch is a popular game fish for recreational anglers, and has been widely introduced beyond its native Eurasian habitats into Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. Known locally simply as "redfins", they have caused substantial damage to native fish populations in Australia and have been proclaimed a noxious species in New South Wales.[3]

Taxonomy

The first scientific description of the river perch was made by Peter Artedi in 1730. He defined the basic morphological signs of this species after studying perch from Swedish lakes. Artedi described its features, counting the fin rays scales and vertebrae of the typical perch.[4]

In 1758, Carl Linnaeus named it Perca fluviatilis.[5] His description was based on Artedi's research.[4]

Because of their similar appearance and ability to cross-breed, the yellow perch (Perca flavescens) has sometimes been classified as a subspecies of the European perch, in which case its trinomial name would be Perca fluviatilis flavescens.[6]

Description

European perch are greenish with red pelvic, anal and caudal fins. They have five to eight dark vertical bars on their sides.[2][7] When the perch grows larger, a hump grows between its head and dorsal fin.[8]

European perch can vary greatly in size between bodies of water. They can live for up to 22 years, and older perch are often much larger than average; the maximum recorded length is 60 cm (24 in). The British record is 2.8 kg (6 lb 2 oz), but they grow larger in mainland Europe than in Britain. As of May 2016, the official all tackle world record recognised by the

Baltic herring
.

Distribution and habitat

The range of the European perch covers

Kolyma River in Siberia to the east.[2] It is also common in some of the brackish waters of the Baltic Sea.[11]

The European perch lives in slow-flowing rivers, deep lakes and ponds. It tends to avoid cold or fast-flowing waters but some specimens penetrate waters of these type, although they do not breed in this habitat.[11] They are most abundant in relatively shallow lakes and lakes with deep light penetration, and less abundant in deep lakes and those with low light penetration.[12]

Introduction outside Europe

European perch has been widely introduced, with reported adverse ecological impact after introduction.[2] In Australia, the species is implicated in the decline of the now-endangered native fish, the Macquarie perch.[13]

Behaviour and reproduction

The European perch is carnivorous, with juveniles feeding on

fingerlings at a size of around 120 mm (4.7 in).[1]

Male perch become sexually mature at between one and two years of age, females between two and four.[1] In the Northern Hemisphere they spawn between February and July.[11][2] Males reach spawning areas ahead of females, and court mates by chasing through underwater vegetation. During reproduction, the female lays a white ribbon of eggs up to one meter long, which is deposited on water plants or on the branches of trees or shrubs immersed in the water.[2] There has been speculation, but only anecdotal evidence, that eggs stick to the legs of wading birds and are then transferred to other waters.[14]

The eggs hatch after a period of 8 to 16 days. The larvae are 5 millimetres (0.20 in) long on hatching, and live in open water where they feed on plankton. Juveniles migrate to areas nearer the shore and bottom during their first summer.[2]

Diseases and parasites

Predators

The European perch is a frequent prey of many

Western osprey (Pandion haliaetus),[17] great cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo)[18][19] and common kingfisher (Alcedo atthis),[20][21] and it is an important item in the diet of the globally threatened Dalmatian pelican (Pelecanus crispus).[22] Other non-avian predators include the northern pike (Esox lucius) and the Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra).[23]

Relationship with humans

Fishing

Low-energy X-rays used for quality control of perch fingerlings at a Swiss fish farm
Perch dish

European perch is fished for food and as game.[11] Its flesh is described as good eating, with a white, firm, flaky texture and well flavoured.[24] According to FAO statistics, 28,920 tonnes were caught in 2013. Largest perch fishing countries were Russia, (15,242 tonnes), Finland (7,666 tonnes), Estonia (2,144 t), Poland (1,121 t) and Kazakhstan (1,103 t).[11]

Baits for perch include

lob worms, maggots, shrimp (Caridina, Neocaridina, Palaemon, Macrobrachium) and peeled crayfish tails. The tackles
needed are fine but strong.

artificial flies tied for the purpose. Often, the flies required are "streamers" or bait-fish imitations and use flash, colour and movement to entice a take from the perch.[25]

Perch in culture

Emblem of Bad Buchau

The European perch is Finland's national fish.[26]

It is also pictured in emblems of several European towns and municipalities, such as Bad Buchau, Gröningen and Schönberg, Plön.

The raw fish item in the game Factorio is a plush toy of the European perch.[27]

See also

References

  1. ^ . Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2019). "Perca fluviatilis" in FishBase. December 2019 version.
  3. ^ "Redfin perch". NSW Government. Archived from the original on 12 February 2017. Retrieved 23 January 2017.
  4. ^ .
  5. ^ Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Perca fluviatilis". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
  6. ^ Bailly, N (2015). "Perca fluviatilis flavescens (Mitchill, 1814) – unaccepted". World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 24 January 2016.
  7. ^ "Perch (Perca fluviatilis)". ARKive. Wildscreen. Archived from the original on 2017-02-02. Retrieved 25 January 2017.
  8. ^ "Perch". Luontoportti. Retrieved 25 January 2017.
  9. ^ "Official World Record". The International Game Fish Association. Retrieved 23 January 2017.
  10. ^ "Fischdaten". Fisch-Hitparade (in German). 2010. Retrieved 23 January 2017.
  11. ^ a b c d e f "Species Fact Sheet (incl. link to FishStat)". FAO. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  12. S2CID 53998313
    .
  13. ^ "The feasibility of excluding alien redfin perch from Macquarie perch habitat in the Hawkesbury-Nepean Catchment | NSW Department of Primary Industries". www.dpi.nsw.gov.au. Retrieved 2021-01-31.
  14. ^ "Is there (scientific) proof that water fowl can transport fish eggs from one water body to an other?". 2014. Retrieved 23 January 2017.
  15. ^ "Cucullanus elegans Rudolphi, 1802". World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 24 January 2017.
  16. PMID 19899354.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link
    )
  17. ^ "Osprey Fact File". Scottish Wildlife Trust. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
  18. S2CID 84199917.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link
    )
  19. S2CID 90464667.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link
    )
  20. .
  21. .
  22. ^ "Dalmatian Pelican Pelecanus crispus". Birdlife. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
  23. S2CID 86028541
    .
  24. ^ "Perch". Scottish Government. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
  25. ^ "Perch On The Fly". Fishtec. 2016-11-28. Retrieved 2018-11-12.
  26. ^ Weaver, Fran (2014). "Iconic Finnish nature symbols stand out". thisisFinland. Finland Promotion Board. Archived from the original on 25 October 2017. Retrieved 28 January 2017.
  27. ^ "Friday Facts #348 - The final GUI update". Reddit. Retrieved 16 December 2022.

External links