Detroit River-Western Lake Erie Basin Indicator Project

Estimated population in millions of yellow perch (ages 2+) in management unit 1 which encompasses western Lake Erie basin, 1975-2006 (data collected by the Great Lakes Fishery Commission, Lake Erie Yellow Perch Task Group).

The Great Lakes Fishery Commission's Lake Erie Yellow Perch Task Group has collected yellow perch population and size data in Lake Erie since 1975. These data show that the Lake Erie yellow perch population increased through the late 1970s, possibly due to lake-wide pollution abatement programs and decreased fishing pressure (see figure above). Throughout the 1980s, the population was variable until it plummeted in the late 1980s, with very low numbers through the early 1990s. Population declines were possibly due to the lake-wide invasion of zebra and quagga mussels, overfishing and unfavorable weather (Kenyon and Murray 2001). The yellow perch population increased from the mid- to late 1990s and has remained steady through 2006. This higher reproduction rate is likely a result of a greater density of burrowing mayflies and an increase in the spawning success and survival of juvenile fish in the western basin. There also may be an inverse relationship between the peak walleye abundance periods (late 1980s-early 1990s, and more recently since 2003) with yellow perch abundance. When walleye abundance is very high, it appears that yellow perch abundance declines and probably is due to predation (Thomas 2006).

Full text for Yellow Perch Population

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