Exceptionally big individual perch (Perca fluviatilis L.) and their growth

Abstract

In Lake Windermere (U.K.) where there was a dense, slow‐growing population of perch (Perca fluviatilis L.) which had an lx of about 180 mm, there co‐existed a few individuals with an lx of 463 mm. Data from 137 of these big perch, mostly caught in gillnets fishing for Esox lucius L., were examined. Their early growth was identical to that of normal perch, but, at an age, varying between individuals, from 1 to 8 and averaging 4 years, their growth accelerated for about 4 years and then followed a von Bertalanffy model with an lx of 463 mm. They thus had a ‘double’ growth‐curve that is revealed only if individual growth is examined. Acceleration tended to occur in certain calendar years and was correlated with strong year‐classes of young perch. Growth was greater in years with warm summer water temperatures. There were no changes in the growth of big perch, after they had achieved 290 mm, during a period of great changes in the population density and an increase in the growth of normal perch < 290 mm. No more big perch were caught in Windermere between 1967 and 1990. Net selection, length‐weight relationships, seasonal cycle in gonad weight, and opercular‐body length relationship were the same as those of normal perch. The few available data suggest that big perch were piscivorous, feeding largely on small perch. The distribution of sites in the lake where big perch were caught is contagious, catches follow the negative binomial; but within fishings that caught big perch at the same site and time, catches were more evenly distributed than random. It is postulated that most adults would have accelerated their growth if they had sustained piscivory. Similar big perch have been found in other lakes.