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White perch
Morone americana
Photo credit: Karsten
Hartel
Habitat requirements and life history:
The white perch (3.9 to 19.0 inches), is a native of Massachusetts
coastal streams, and an important, anadromous sport and game
fish. Land-locked populations have also become established
in lakes, ponds and rivers. The white perch is misnamed as
it is actually a member of the bass family. These active schooling
fish feed on samll fishes, fish eggs and larval insects. White
perch spawn in spring or early summer. Females White perch
may also overpopulate a waterbody and prevent other species
from thriving. They spawn in shallow water when the water
temperature reaches about 55 degrees Fahrenheit. When females
release their eggs, the eggs are fertilized by nearby males.
The eggs stick to gravel or other substrate and are abandoned.
(Sources: Massachusetts
Wildlife, No. 2, 2000, Special Fishing Issue, Freshwater Fishes
of the Carolinas, Virginia, Maryland, & Delaware and AMC Guide
to Freshwater Fishing in New England)
Total length:
6 - 10 inches
Pollution tolerance (US EPA): Intermediate
tolerance
Classification:
Macrohabitat generalist
Number of fish found during 1954 & 2001
Fish Surveys*
| Location |
No. of Fish 1954 |
No. of Fish 2001 |
| Assabet River |
22
|
|
| Total |
22 |
0 |
*Data
sources:
Schlotterbeck, L.C. and W.A. Tompkins, 1954. "A Fisheries
Investigation of the Merrimack and Ipswich River Drainages."
Bureau of Wildlife Research and Management, Massachusetts
Division of Fisheries and Game.
DFW, 2001. Assabet Watershed Fish Survey. MA Department of
Fisheries and Wildlife, Westborough, MA.
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