Abstract
Gill netting was carried out at 25 sites in Lake George, New York to determine if interbasin differences of yellow perch (Perca flavescens) exist. Fish relative weight, growth and diet were analyzed for 267 yellow perch. Yellow perch are known to be omnivorous in the lake eating zooplankton, benthos and small fishes in both the littoral and pelagic waters. The length-weight relationship exhibited a significant difference amongst the Narrows, North and South basins for condition constants (p < 0.05). Relative weights were consistently found to be below the general target range and had significant differences between the basins. Growth models of fish caught in the three basins showed variation in growth of yellow perch. The yellow perch from the North basin exhibited allometric growth, while those in the South and Narrows displayed isometric growth. The diets of yellow perch between the basins also were found to be different. Previous studies have noted differences between the basins with respect to chlorophyll a, chemistry, and biota. This study provides evidence of differences in the fishery amongst the basins that follow similar, previously defined, differences in chemistry.
Highlights
Yellow perch caught at all 10 sites in the South basin totaled 609 fish in 219.00 hours (CPUE 2.78 fish/hr)
In 105.76 hours of effort 76 yellow perch were collected from 5 sites with a Catch per unit effort (CPUE) of 0.72 fish/hr in the Narrows basin
In 212.65 hours of effort 62 yellow perch were collected from 10 sites with a CPUE of 0.29 fish/hr in the North basin
Summary
Little attention has been given to yellow perch in Lake George in the last three decades. In the early 1920s yellow perch was considered the staple food fish, of the lake because it was caught year round. No management was recommended during this time as yellow perch were abundant [3]. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) has collected yellow perch in lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) studies from the 1960s to 1970s but no in depth analysis was done. A study carried out in November 1960 found high abundance of yellow perch caught at depths greater than 30 meters [4]. A summary of the findings of the NYSDEC fishing efforts found Lake George supported two strikingly different populations of lake trout between the North and South basin [5]
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