Yellow Perch

🗺️ Habitat

Lakes, ponds, rivers, and reservoirs throughout the Great Lakes region and northeastern North America. Prefers cool, clear to slightly turbid water with sandy or rocky bottoms.

🔍 How to Identify Yellow Perch

• 1Bright yellow body with 6–8 distinct, dark vertical bars
• 2Orange-red pelvic and anal fins in adults
• 3Two separate dorsal fins — front has sharp spines
• 4Golden-yellow to yellow-green body
• 5Slightly forked tail

🍽️ Diet

Zooplankton (juveniles), insects, small fish, crayfish, and aquatic invertebrates

💡 Fun Facts About Yellow Perch

• ★Yellow perch are one of the most important prey fish in northern lakes, feeding everything from walleye to loons
• ★They school in huge numbers, making them easy to locate but sometimes difficult to catch big fish
• ★Yellow perch are considered the best-tasting Great Lakes fish by many anglers
• ★Lake Erie supports one of the world's greatest yellow perch fisheries
• ★Perch fishing under the ice is a beloved winter tradition in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan

🛡️ Conservation Status

Least Concern — abundant, though some Great Lakes populations fluctuate

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