Yellow Perch Piscivory and Its Possible Role in Structuring Littoral Zone Fish Communities in Small Minnesota Lakes

Abstract

ABSTRACT We monitored the seasonal food habits of juvenile and adult yellow perch (Perca flavescens) in four west-central Minnesota lakes, focusing on consumption of fishes by perch. Macroinveretebrates were usually the primary (% by number) prey item selected by yellow perch <200 mm, while prey fishes were commonly the primary (% by weight) prey source for yellow perch ≥130 mm, and fish consumption was observed in yellow perch as small as 65 mm. Yellow perch that exceeded 130 mm regularly consumed fish, and prey fish selection varied considerably by season. During the spring, the two primary prey fishes were brook stickleback (Culae inconstans) and johnny darter (Etheostoma nigrum). During the early summer months, larval fishes appeared in yellow perch diets. Lepomids were the primary fishes consumed during late summer, fall, and winter months.