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Nine, production-scale, recirculating aquaculture systems were utilized to compare the growth parameters between all-female and mixed sex yellow perch stocks. Each system was stocked with 455 fish m⁻³ and contained one of three different biofilter types: a rotating biological contactor, a trickling filter or a bead filter. The all-female fingerlings (S1) used were originally derived from Lake Mendota, Wisconsin. The mixed-sex fingerlings (S2) used were originally derived from Lake Erie. Temperature and photoperiod (23°C, 16H-L) were maintained at levels for optimal growth. Absolute growth rates ranged from 0.27-0.48 g/day. Mean final density within treatments was 42.8 kg/m³ and ranged from 37.2-50.2 kg/m³. The main effect of stock did not have a significant effect on growth (p > .1). All-female treatments exhibited more uniform growth. The main effect of filter type did have a significant effect on fish growth (p < .01), with fish in tanks containing trickling filters exhibiting significantly higher growth. Total feed conversion averaged 1.61 across all treatments and ranged from 1.38-1.78. S1 treatments consumed a significantly higher percent body weight per day than S2 treatments (p < .05). Analysis of PIT tagged individuals revealed that the mean relative growth rate was significantly higher in S2 individuals (513.9%) compared to S1 individuals (315.3%: p < .01). S2 females (597.8%) grew 1.9 times faster than S1 females (315.3%: p < .01). Within S2 individuals, females (597.8%) grew 1.5 times faster than males (395.2%: p < .05). For all individuals, 33.6% of the variation in final weight was explained by the variation in initial weight. Differences in the geographic strain or culture history of these stocks may have had a larger overall effect on growth than sexual classification (all- female or mixed sex). Dress percentage of skin-on butterfly fillets was examined in 20 individuals per stock and in six groups of 20 individuals per stock. Within S2 individuals, 73.7% were female. Mean fillet yield was significantly greater in S1 individuals (47.6%) compared to S2 individuals (43.0%: p < .01). Mean GSI in S1 individuals (1.01%) was significantly higher than S2 individuals (0.54%: p < .05). Within S2 individuals, mean GSI was significantly higher in females (0.70%) when compared to males (0.08%: p < .05). Fillet yield was significantly greater in S1 groups (47.2%) compared to S2 groups (44.9%: p < .01). Within each stock fillet yield increased with size. The difference in fillet yield demonstrated between these stocks may be a result of differences in strain of origin. The identification of superior yellow perch strains or strain crosses with regard to growth rate and fillet percentage is of considerable importance to the industry. / Master of Science

Yellow perch Perca flavescens spawning was evaluated in southern Lake Michigan during 2009 to determine the timing, location, and extent of spawning activity. Maturity state (i.e., pre-spawn/post-spawn), gonadosomatic index (GSI), mean length, length frequency distributions, and sex group proportions were also evaluated. No egg skeins were discovered during the study. The GSI decreased during the duration of the spawn. Spent females were larger than pre-spawn females. Following the spawning season another assessment was conducted to determine whether differences existed in the spawning and post-spawning population demographics. Abundance, length frequency distributions, proportions, and relative stock density were evaluated. Abundance of fish in the post-spawning period increased six-fold and paralleled a shift in length frequency distribution to larger median size. An increase in the proportion of females and relative stock density from the spawning period to post-spawning period was discovered. These data infer adult fish were spawning elsewhere, and then migrating to Indiana. / Department of Biology

The Indiana waters of Lake Michigan were sampled weekly from May until August in 2009, 2011, and 2012 to determine the extent of yellow perch reproduction and the role Indiana waters play in yellow perch life history. Experimental gill nets were used to collect fish before, during, and after the spawning season from randomly selected sites along the Indiana shoreline. Yellow perch were then taken to an onshore processing station where they were weighed, measured, and visually examined to determine sex and maturity. Maturity stages of adult yellow perch were used to estimate the timing and duration of yellow perch spawning. Yellow perch population demographics were also compared to determine if different groups of yellow perch were present before and after the spawn. My data suggests that yellow perch spawning is strongly influenced by temperature and that Indiana waters are seasonally used by adult yellow perch for feeding. / Department of Biology

Fish populations vary naturally but are also affected by anthropogenic factors such as changes in land use, climate, acidification, invasive species and eutrophication. An overall picture is important for understanding the changes that are taking place and their effects. In this study, I have linked several environmental factors, such as turbidity and chlorophyll-a, with the presence of pikeperch and perch in Lake Mjörn. I have also investigated how the size of the perch has changed between the years 2000 and 2018 for the entire population, and specifically within the size class 80 - 120 mm. Gill net surveys from 2000, 2007 and 2018 shows that the median length of pikeperch decreased from 2007 to 2018 by 39.6% and increased in average per net effort by 630% between 2000 and 2018, a clear shift in the population from few and older to more, and a larger proportion of, younger individuals. The turbidity has had a clear downward trend with a decrease of 3.9 cm per year since 1985, with a Secchi depth of less than 4 meters in the last 10 years, which is probably an important factor contributing to the increase of the pikeperch population. At the same time, the chlorophyll-a concentration has shown an upward trend of 0.174 μg/l per year. An observed decrease in macrophytes around the lake over the past 20 years may have caused some increased wind-driven mixing and a greater amount of suspended solute particles. An increased amount of nutrients from the sediment could have explained the increasing amount of phytoplankton, but sampling carried out at the inlet to and the outlet of Lake Mjörn shows that the concentrations of nutrients in the lake have decreased. The median length of perch has decreased by 52.3% from the year 2000 to 2018, and the median length of 2 summer old perch shows a decrease of 17.5% during the same period. The difference in median length between the entire perch population and the 2 summer old individuals was 47% in 2000 but only 8.3% in 2018, which indicates that the population in 2018 largely consisted of 2 - 3 year old individuals.

Commercial fishing in the Baltic Sea has led to decrease in abundance of large predatory fish and as a result the predation pressure on smaller fish species has been reduced. Three-spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) is among the species that have benefited from reduced predation pressure. Sticklebacks are a small fish species that spends its juvenile stage in coastal habitat and its adult stage in the open sea with a yearly migration from the sea to coastal habitat and lakes for spawning. Sticklebacks have been shown to have a negative effect on fry of coastal species, such as perch (Perca fluviatilis). Therefore an increase in stickleback abundance, as a consequence of reduced predation pressure, can potentially further reduce abundance of fry of coastal species, such as perch. On the other hand sticklebacks could be subject to predation from adult perch. This two-species interaction is studied in the perspective of general ecological IGP (intra guild predation) theory. In order to determine how the observed increase of three-spined sticklebacks negatively or positively affects the growth of different stages of perch, a time series of operculum bones from perch collected by the coastal monitoring program prior to the increase of sticklebacks and up until present was analyzed. Three areas along the Swedish coast showing increased stickleback abundance (Gaviksfjärden, Norrbyn and Holmön) were compared to areas that had no sticklebacks or only a small increase in abundance (Kinnbäcksfjärden, Råneåfjärden, Långvindsfjärden) prior and after the general increase in stickleback density. In addition to the growth analysis, a dietary analysis of perch was carried out in order to determine to what extent perch utilize sticklebacks as a food source. I found that there were significant differences in regard to perch growth between the two time periods; however there was no significant difference in growth between the control areas and the stickleback areas except for perch of medium size. Further, this difference in growth between the control and stickleback areas was present both before and after the stickleback increase and could therefore not be tied directly to stickleback increase. Consequently, results from a multiple regression showed that stickleback abundance was not able to significantly explain the observed changes in perch growth. The dietary analysis showed that larger and intermediate perch tend to consume sticklebacks as well as benthic fauna and other fish species while smaller perch tended to feed exclusively on smaller invertebrates. This study concluded that the increase in stickleback abundance had only a very weak effect on perch growth.

<p>Two decades ago the recruitment of YOY perch (<em>Perca fluviatilis</em>) started to decline along the Swedish east cost of the Baltic Sea. Factors that influence recruitment are e.g. eutrophication that causes habitat losses and overfishing of cod (<em>Gadus morhua</em>) which causes cascading effects in the food web. Filamentous cyanobacterial blooms are often toxic and has increased in the Baltic Sea and its coastal waters. The aim of this field study was to evaluate the effects of salinity and cyanobacterial exposure on fitness related parameters of young of the year (YOY) perch (<em>Perca Fluviatilis</em>) in a natural environment. Our study was performed in the Curonian Lagoon (Lithuania) in August 2009. The lagoon offers a temporary salinity gradient (wind induced influxes from the Baltic Sea) ranging from 7 psu in the north to 0 psu in the south. Submerged enclosures containing YOY perch were set up at three different locations along the salinity gradient in the Lagoon (referred to as North, Middle, South). The duration of the experiment was 21 or 27 days, depending on treatment. Measurements of perch condition were specific growth rate, somatic condition index (SCI) and whole fish lipid and protein content. Average chl <em>a</em> values for the three stations during the experimental time were: north 180 ± 70 µg/l chl <em>a</em>, middle 133 ± 36 µg/l chl <em>a</em> and south 180 ± 52 µg/l chl <em>a</em>. The North and the Middle stations experienced two different salinity influxes reaching a maximum salinity of 6.5 psu at the northern station. The duration of each saline influx was approximately 4-6 days. The saline water did not reach the Southern station at any time. Results show that perch from the southern station were in best condition in terms of specific growth rate and contents of total lipids. Compared to the South the perch condition declined to the Middle station and was lowest at the Northern station which experienced the highest degree of fluctuation in terms of salinity and cyanobacterial exposure. Examination of the abundance of the main food resource at the different stations revealed no statistical differences, which suggest that availability of food was not a factor in explaining the differences in growth.  The results possibly indicate that a changing environment with the potential synergistic negative effects of salinity and cyanobacteria has a higher negative impact on YOY perch condition compared to constantly high concentrations of cyanobacteria.</p>