Eurasian Perch

Eurasian Perch 

(Perca fluviatilis), a fish of the family Percidae of the order Perciformes. The Eurasian perch is 40 to 50 cm long and weighs up to 2 kg. It is commonly found in freshwater lakes, rivers, ponds, and reservoirs in Europe (except for the Iberian Peninsula, Italy, and northern Scandinavia), northern Asia, and the eastern part of North America. The fish is encountered in fresh waters throughout the USSR except for Lake Balkhash and east of the Kolyma River. It has been acclimatized to the headwaters of the Amur River.

In large lakes and reservoirs, perch form two ecological morphae: the small morpha, which lives near the coast, and the large morpha, which dwells in open areas. The small morpha feeds primarily on plankton and insect larvae; the large morpha is a predator. Spawning occurs in early spring, when the water temperature is between 7° and 15°C. The roe are deposited in the form of a hollow gelatinous tube, which measures 1 m or longer in length. Perch have local economic importance.

REFERENCES

Zhizn’zhivotnykh, vol. 4, part 1. Moscow, 1971.
Nikol’skii, G. V. Chastnaia ikhtiologiia, 3rd ed. Moscow, 1971.