Great Lakes Fishery Commission

Updated 2021-09-23 14:40:10

Lake Erie -> 1.0 Intensively Managed Species -> Yellow Perch

Maintain yellow perch populations with sustainable levels of adult biomass and fisheries harvest consistent with the yellow perch management plan

Yellow perch (Perca flavescens) are a relatively short-lived species, rarely reaching age-10. Yellow perch population status is typically driven by periodic strong year classes and fluctuates accordingly. The Lake Erie Fish Community Objective for yellow perch is to maintain populations that support sustainable commercial and sport fisheries (Francis et al. 2020). To achieve this objective, a Lake Erie Yellow Perch Management Plan was developed in consultation with the Lake Erie Percid Management Advisory Group (LEPMAG). The Plan establishes objectives for population and fishery sustainability and quality based upon historic population status and fishery performance. The population is considered sustainable if there are enough adults to support stable recruitment and long-term fisheries.

The Lake Erie yellow perch fishery is one of most intensively managed freshwater fisheries in the world and is one of only two (along with Lake Erie walleye) Great Lakes fisheries that have Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) sustainability certification. West basin yellow perch are assessed using population models that incorporate fishery and agency data to estimate population size and sustainable harvest levels. If the adult population falls below a level of abundance known as the limit reference point, management interventions in the form of harvest reductions are triggered. During the 2016-2020 reporting period, west basin adult yellow perch biomass was above the limit reference point for all five years with an increasing trend, indicating that the fishery remains sustainable (Figure 1). Average annual adult biomass for the reporting period (2.9 million kgs) was near the long-term average (3.0 million kgs).

At age-2, yellow perch become vulnerable to angling and commercial harvest. Abundance of age-2 fish is also an indicator of year-class strength. Strong year classes provide good fishing opportunities in the following years. During the reporting period, the average age-2 abundance of yellow perch (30.8 million age-2 fish) was above the long-term average (27.7 million age-2 fish; Figure 2). Age-2 abundance varied during the reporting period with a large increase evident in 2020.

Sport harvest rate, measured as the number of fish per angler hour (fish/hr), is a measure of the quality of the sport fishery. In consultation with the LEPMAG, a target harvest rate of at least 3.0 fish/hr was established for the west basin, meaning on average anglers should harvest at least 3 fish for every hour spent fishing. An individual angler’s harvest rate may vary depending on experience and daily fishing conditions. The west basin sport harvest rate has declined over the reporting period (average=2.8 fish/hr) and was above the target harvest rate in two of the five years (Figure 3).

Consistent yellow perch harvest levels are important to the economic sustainability of commercial fisheries as well as their markets (i.e., fish processors, retailers, restaurants, and patrons). The west basin commercial harvest has been relatively stable during the reporting period with an average annual harvest of 591 metric tonnes (Figure 4).   

Figure 1. Adult biomass of yellow perch in the west basin of Lake Erie relative to the limit reference point, 1975-2020. The population is considered sustainable if the adult biomass is above the limit reference point.

Figure 2: Abundance of age-2 yellow perch in the west basin of Lake Erie relative to the average, 1975-2020.

Figure 3. Sport harvest rate of yellow perch in the west basin of Lake Erie relative to the target harvest rate of at least 3 fish per angler hour, 1987-2020.

Figure 4. Total commercial harvest (metric tonnes; gill net and trap net harvest combined) of yellow perch in the west basin of Lake Erie, 1975-2020.