An assessment of yellow perch, Perca flavescens, stocking contributions in eastern South Dakota lakes

Abstract

The success and value of yellow perch, Perca flavescens (Mitchill), stocking programmes are largely unknown because of the difficulties in differentiating between naturally recruited and translocated stocks. To determine stocking contributions of yellow perch, fingerlings and adults were collected from natural rearing ponds in south‐eastern South Dakota. Prior to stocking, all fish were marked for 6 h in transfer tanks containing 700 mg L−1 oxytetracycline hydrochloride. Six lakes containing yellow perch populations were supplemented at low, medium and high stocking densities of about 25, 135 or 200 fish ha−1, respectively. Yellow perch populations were subsequently sampled with experimental gill nets during late summer; two lakes were resampled with additional gears (electric fishing, trap nets and cloverleaf traps). Yellow perch were processed for routine measurements, and saggital otoliths were removed to determine the origin of the fish. Stock contribution estimates determined from gill‐net samples for Island (low), Oak (low), Twin (medium) and Wall (high) lakes were approximately 18, 5, 41, and 38%, respectively. Samples from other gears provided stock contributions of 15 and 10% for Cavour Lake and 41% for Diamond Lake (high density stockings). Although these results showed that supplemental stockings were successful, variability in stock contributions among populations indicates a need for further assessment of variables that may influence the stocking success of yellow perch.