Great Lakes Fishery Commission

Updated 2026-08-25 13:58:16

Lake Erie-2021-2025 -> 1.0 Intensively Managed Species -> Yellow Perch Population and Fisheries

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 (YPMP) 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. LEPMAG is currently revising the YPMP, which includes developing new models to estimate population abundance and new harvest control rules. In the interim, the Lake Erie Committee (LEC) is using harvest and survey performance indicators to manage Yellow Perch (YPTG, 2026).

The Lake Erie yellow perch fishery is one of the 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. Lake Erie’s central basin is comprised of two Management Units (MU2 and MU3) for stock assessment and quota allocation of yellow perch. For this general summary, status indicators for the west-central (MU2) and east-central (MU3) management units have been combined.

Sport harvest rate, estimated as 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 central basin, meaning on average anglers should harvest at least 3 yellow perch for every hour spent fishing. An individual angler’s harvest rate may vary depending on experience and daily fishing conditions. The central basin sport harvest rate from 2021-2025 (average=0.6 fish/hr) declined over the reporting period and was the lowest in the time-series, falling below the target harvest rate in all five years (Figure 1).

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 central basin commercial harvest declined over the reporting period with an average annual harvest of 610.5 metric tonnes, and included the lowest harvests of the time-series (Figure 2).

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources performs an annual bottom trawl survey to assess the relative abundance of Yellow Perch. The catch of Yellow Perch declined to its lowest levels in this survey over the reporting period with an average annual catch of 5.7 adult Yellow Perch per hectare (Figure 3).

The Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and the Ontario Commercial Fisheries Association perform an annual gill netting survey, referred to as the Partnership Survey, to assess the relative abundance of fish species in the Ontario waters of Lake Erie. During the reporting period, the catch of Yellow Perch declined to its lowest levels in this survey with an average annual catch of 37.4 adult Yellow Perch per net from 2021 to 2025 (Figure 4).

Figure 1. Sport harvest rate of yellow perch in the central basin of Lake Erie relative to the target minimum harvest rate of 3.0 fish per angler hour, 1990-2025.

Figure 2. Total commercial harvest (metric tonnes; gill net and trap net harvest combined) of yellow perch in the central basin of Lake Erie, 1990-2025.

Figure 3. Catch per hectare of age 2 and older Yellow Perch in the Ohio Fall Trawl Survey, 1990-2025.

Figure 4. Catch per net of age 2 and older Yellow Perch in the Ontario Partnership Gill Net Survey, 1990-2025.