Yellow Perch Larvae Research Articles

Ecological Consequences of Swim Bladder Noninflation for Larval Yellow Perch

AbstractSwim bladder inflation is a fundamental developmental step during the larval stage of many fishes. Although the physiological mechanisms of swim bladder inflation are well documented, the ecological costs of noninflation are poorly understood. If high proportions of newly hatched fish larvae fail to inflate their swim bladders and swim bladder noninflation negatively affects individual survival probability, the population‐level effects could be dramatic. To determine whether fish larvae without inflated swim bladders perform differently than their conspecifics with inflated swim bladders, we compared growth rate, feeding selectivity and efficiency, susceptibility to predation, oxygen consumption, and starvation mortality of two size‐classes of larval yellow perch Perca flavescens with and without inflated swim bladders in a series of experiments. In the laboratory, growth rates of yellow perch with uninflated swim bladders were less than those for fish with inflated swim bladders, and fish with inflated swim bladders fed more efficiently than those with uninflated swim bladders. In addition, predation risk, metabolic demands, and vulnerability to starvation mortality were higher in fish lacking an inflated swim bladder than in fish with an inflated swim bladder. In the field, individuals with uninflated swim bladders were smaller than their conspecifics with inflated swim bladders. The relative occurrence of yellow perch larvae without inflated swim bladders declined as the sampling season progressed until only fish with inflated swim bladders were collected. Our results demonstrate that a larval yellow perch's failure to inflate its swim bladder results in a higher probability of dying. Thus, on the population scale, the factors affecting swim bladder inflation among larval fishes may have a profound effect on recruitment dynamics.

Fish Size and Prey Availability Affect Growth, Survival, Prey Selection, and Foraging Behavior of Larval Yellow Perch

AbstractZooplankton availability is strongly linked with the growth, survival, and ultimately recruitment of fish during their early life history. We examined how different types of zooplankton affected the growth, survival, and prey selection of larval yellow perch Perca flavescens in a series of laboratory experiments. The growth and survival of newly hatched (5–7‐mm) to 12‐mm yellow perch larvae was greatest when feeding on adult copepods and copepod nauplii. The growth and survival of yellow perch larvae longer than 12 mm was greatest when feeding on adult copepods and small cladocerans. Prey selection patterns closely followed trends in growth and survival; smaller larvae positively selected adult and naupliar copepods, whereas larger larvae selected adult copepods and small cladocerans. Foraging behavior experiments conducted with larvae longer than 12 mm revealed that these fish derived similar energetic gains when feeding solely on adult copepods and small cladocerans. The pathway to this energetic benefit differed substantially between prey types. Adult copepods yielded substantial energy to larval yellow perch because of the minimal handling time involved, despite the lower capture efficiency than with cladocerans. Conversely, yellow perch larvae realized high energetic gain from small cladocerans because of high capture efficiency, despite the higher handling times than with adult copepods. These results illustrate the importance of experimentally quantifying the feeding behavior of fish larvae to gain insight into how larval fish behavior and food type interact to shape larval fish growth patterns.

Exploring Zooplankton Changes in Southern Lake Michigan: Implications for Yellow Perch Recruitment

Recruitment of fishes frequently depends in part on availability of appropriate densities and sizes of zooplankton prey. In Lake Michigan, yellow perch ( Perca flavescens) have experienced poor recruitment since 1989, although the mechanisms driving this poor recruitment have not been identified. To explore the possible influence of zooplankton density available for yellow perch larvae shortly after hatching on eventual recruitment success of age-0 yellow perch, we examined patterns of nearshore zooplankton and age-0 yellow perch relative abundance in southwestern Lake Michigan during June 1988-1990 and 1996-1998. Zooplankton density, mean size, and biomass that were available to newly hatched yellow perch larvae in June declined from the late 1980s to the late 1990s, suggesting that one or more of these declines may contribute to the current reduced rate of yellow perch recruitment seen in southwestern Lake Michigan. A strong positive linear relationship existed between the density of zooplankton present during June, the time when first-feeding larvae appear, and CPUE of age-0 yellow perch in a given year. A laboratory experiment revealed that more zooplankton does increase larval yellow perch survival, supporting the field pattern. Therefore, zooplankton availability for larvae can be an important determinant of yellow perch recruitment success in Lake Michigan and should be considered in addition to other mechanisms when evaluating the factors regulating recruitment of this species.

Maternal effects as a recruitment mechanism in Lake Michigan yellow perch (Perca flavescens)

Changes that occurred in the distribution of adult Lake Michigan yellow perch (Perca flavescens) phenotypic traits suggest that maternal effects on larval traits may be substantially influencing the recruitment of this heavily exploited species. We investigated maternal effects on yellow perch larvae at hatching in 10 maternal lines to test the null hypothesis of no effect of maternal phenotype on offspring phenotype and condition. Analyses lead to a rejection of the null hypothesis and indicated that the observed maternal effects likely resulted from differences among females in size, age, gonadosomatic index, and egg production. The observed maternal effects were expressed in the offspring by differences in larval total length, yolk volume, dry weight, and DNA quantity. Older, larger females were found to have high fecundity, yet low gonadosomatic index. Furthermore, older, larger females produced offspring that were, on average, short with large yolk sacs and high quantities of body reserves, as measured by dry weight and total DNA content. We conclude that the distribution of Lake Michigan yellow perch larval traits at hatching is linked to maternal influences and that this linkage may provide a mechanism through which managers can help rebuild the population.

Use of Krill Hydrolysate as a Feed Attractant for Fish Larvae and Juveniles

Abstract.— We determined the effect of krill hydrolysate as a feed attractant in three freshwater fish species: yellow perch Perca flavescens. walleye Stizostedion vitreium. and lake whitefish Coregonus clupeaformis. Growth trials were conducted using a commercial trout starter diet (control) and the diet that was coated with liquid krill hydrolysate. The krill hydrolysate coated diet increased growth of yellow perch juveniles by 31% compared to control diet (average final wet weight, 734 ± 33 mg and 559 ± 82 mg, respectively). Moreover. weight gains were not significantly different than for tish Id exclusively live Artemiu nauplii. Similar results were obtained with walleye juveniles fed either a trout starter diet or 5% krill hydrolysate coated diet (8.9 ± 0.25 g and 11.6 ± 5.1 g wet weight, respectively). The food conversion ratio (FCR) was lower in fish fed the control diet, although not significantly different (2.95 ± 0.18 and 3.69 ± 0.39. for control and coated diet. respectively). The effect of krill hydrolysate on dry diet ingestion rates of lake whitefish and yellow perch larvae was also determined using radioactive (14C) labelling. A commercial starter diet was coated with krill hydrolysate or the soluble fraction of krill hydrolysate was added to the experimental tank water. In both species. coating the diet with 5% krill hydrolysate resulted in significantly higher ingestion rates. Supplementation of krill hydrolysate soluble fraction to the tank water resulted in 200% increase in ingestion rate in comparison to control (uncoated starter diet), although it was not significantly different from krill coated diet and live Artemia nauplii ingestion rates.

Relationship between Larval and Juvenile Yellow Perch Abundance in Eastern South Dakota Glacial Lakes

Abstract We sought to determine if abundance of larval yellow perch Perca flavescens could predict abundance of age-0 juvenile perch in late summer. Yellow perch larvae and juveniles were sampled from six eastern South Dakota glacial lakes in 1997. The number of age-0 yellow perch caught per seine haul in late summer was positively related to larval abundance in late May and early June (N = 6, r = 0.90, P = 0.01). When data collected from two eastern South Dakota lakes in 1995 and 1996 were added to this assessment, we also found a significant positive relation (N = 10, r = 0.88, P = 0.0009). Thus, biologists in eastern South Dakota can use larval yellow perch abundance as an early indicator to determine which water bodies are likely to have a weak naturally produced year-class and then can evaluate the success of fingerling perch stocking strategies.

Total Length Reduction in Preserved Yellow Perch Larvae

The high variability in reported lengths of larval yellow perch Perca flavescens at hatching, dietary shift, and morphometric transformation may be partly caused by shrinkage that occurs after preservation. Larval yellow perch were captured, randomly assigned to one of six preservative treatments (100%, 95%, 80%, and 50% ethyl alcohol and 5% and 10% formalin), and measured (before preservation) for total length (TL). Larval yellow perch total lengths were then recorded on days 1, 7, 14, and 21 after storage in each of the six preservatives. Significant reductions in TL (11.5–14.3%) occurred during the first 24 h after fixation and larvae continued to contract at a lesser rate through day 7 in all four ethyl alcohol treatments. Total length reductions of up to 2.5% also occurred during the first 24 h in each formalin concentration. Our findings report the total length reductions of larval yellow perch at a length range used by some biologists when indexing year-class strength and during studies of early life history. The length reductions of larval yellow perch that are associated with storage in different concentrations of preservative appear to be inconsistent with those noted for other species; therefore, our findings support the need to obtain species-specific data for larval shrinkage.

Episodic Acidification of Coastal Plain Streams: An Estimation of Risk to Fish

Episodic acidification is common in poorly buffered streams of the coastal plain in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, and may harm sensitive life stages of migratory fish that spawn in small streams of the region. We developed a model to predict the risk of episodic acidification in these streams that is likely to be harmful to juvenile fish. Risk predictions were based on a multiple‐regression model of acidification episodes, coupled with distribution of precipitation in the coastal plain. The regression model had four independent variables: mean baseflow, acid‐neutralizing capacity (ANC), event rainfall, a 14‐d precipitation index, and a 120‐d precipitation index; this model explained 74% of the variance in episodic pH. Bulk rainfall pH was not a significant predictor. A 30‐yr precipitation record was used to generate input data to estimate cumulative frequencies of low‐pH episodes, which also took into account the standard error of the regression. The cumulative distribution of minimum pH in streams of given ANC was in turn used to estimate the risk that fish larvae would be exposed to one or more episodes below a critical, harmful pH. Results for blueback herring and alewife larvae suggest that risk of exposure to harmful episodes (below critical pH) is ≈ 35%, for the larval stage during an average spring, in streams with baseflow ANC of 200 μ molc/L. The risk was estimated to be as high as 80% in the same streams during a wet spring. For yellow perch larvae, the estimated risk in the same streams (baseflow ANC = 200 μ molc/L) is negligible, because the critical pH for yellow perch larvae is lower than that for the herrings. The risk analysis suggests that larval mortality of river herrings due to acidification may be substantial during wet years, with > 50% of coastal plain streams affected. Management of these species should consider the risks of occasional large losses of precruitment larvae.

Size-Dependent Effects of Continuous and Intermittent Feeding on Starvation Time and Mass Loss in Starving Yellow Perch Larvae and Juveniles

Abstract Starvation rates of fish larvae living in patchy prey environments can have an important impact on cohort survival and recruitment. Despite this, little is known about how fluctuations in feeding experience influence starvation resistance and how this changes with ontogeny. Fish previously exposed to fluctuating food densities may not respond to long periods without food in the same way as fish previously exposed to a constant prey density. In a series of laboratory experiments with larvae and juveniles of yellow perch Perca flavescens, we tested the effects of continuous and intermittent feeding on times to starvation and on mass loss up to death from starvation for fish with initial total lengths of 10, 15, and 20 mm. Results indicated that proportional mass loss up to starvation was independent of fish mass, but that it did depend on feeding history. Fish that fed continuously before starvation all died after losing the same proportion of body mass (55%), but intermittent feeders died when the...

Salinity Tolerance of Yellow Perch Eggs and Larvae from Coastal Plain Stream Populations in Maryland, with Comparison to a Pennsylvania Lake Population

We measured the salinity tolerance of eggs and larvae of yellow perch, Perca flavescens, from three Coastal Plain stream populations in Maryland and a Pennsylvania lake population during a series of continuous flow-through laboratory experiments. Fertilized eggs were incubated in freshwater (mean total hardness of 39.8 mg/liter as CaCO,) and three salinities (7-129o or parts per thousand) until hatching (15-17 days) or death. Yolk-sac larvae were exposed to freshwater and nine salinities (2-139k) for test periods of 5-8 days. The exposures were ramped; salinities were increased from freshwater to treatment conditions at an average rate of 2.7%o/h. Mean cumulative mortalities for Maryland eggs were 4.0% (freshwater), 16.7% (7%o), 28.5% (9%o) and 100% (129/,). The LT50 value for eggs exposed to 129o salinity was 139 h. Mean cumulative mortalities for Maryland larvae was 21.3% (freshwater), 0.0% (2%o), 2.0% (4 and 600), 4.0% (700), 0.0% (8 and 9%o), and 100% (12 and 13%o). Mean LT50 values for larvae exposed to the 12 and 139o salinity treatments were 73 and 50 h. Abnormal behavior was observed in groups of larvae exposed to salinities of 8-1300. Larvae from the Pennsylvania lake population exhibited cumulative mortalities of 18.0% (freshwater, 4 and 6%o) and 100% (8 and 10oo). LT50 values were 158 and 71 h for the Pennsylvania larvae exposed to the 8 and 10 oo salinity treatments. Abnormal behavior was observed in groups of Pennsylvania larvae exposed to salinities of 6-10%o. Pennsylvania larvae were slightly more sensitive to salinity changes than Maryland larvae; LC50 values were 6.3 and 9.1/, respectively. Our laboratory results suggest that yellow perch populations in Maryland Coastal Plain streams can tolerate a relatively wide range of salinities during the egg and early larval stages at mean temperatures of 10-13 C. These populations should be capable of successful reproduction in habitats that range from 0 to 6 or 7%o salinity.

Estimation of Recruitment Forgone Resulting from Larval Fish Entrainment

The effect of larvae entrainment on fish populations is difficult to determine because larvae abundance, mortality, and growth are difficult to estimate. The concept of production forgone (lost) was developed recently to avoid estimation of abundance, but estimates of mortality and growth rates for larvae, young-of-year, and juveniles are still necessary, and these too are difficult to estimate. For sportfish, production forgone is less important than recruitment, and recruitment forgone, or lost, as a result of larvae and egg entrainment could be useful for assessment of sportfish larvae and egg entrainment. A method is developed for estimation of recruitment forgone; it only requires estimates of population parameters for the mature population; it requires no estimates of abundance. The method is applied to assess yellow perch larvae entrainment at the Monroe Power Plant, Monroe, Michigan, located on the western basin of Lake Erie. The number of yellow perch larvae entrained was 1.28 x 10 8, which is an enormous number, but larvae mortality is high and the recruitment forgone was 8,933 fish.

Predation by Alewives on Larvae of Yellow Perch in Lake Ontario

Alewives Alosa pseudoharengus preyed upon larval yellow perch Perca flavescens during late April and early May in a Lake Ontario embayment. Based on stomach analyses of 1,308 alewives collected during the springs of 1984–1986, predation on larval yellow perch occurred primarily at night in littoral areas during the 2 weeks immediately following peak hatch of yellow perch. Among stomachs of all alewives caught at night in littoral areas, 30% in 1985 (N = 43) and 41% in 1986 (N = 71) contained yellow perch larvae. Mean numbers of whole larvae per alewife stomach were 3.8 in 1985 and 32.6 in 1986. As many as 361 intact larval yellow perch were found in one stomach. Mean total lengths of yellow perch consumed on two dates in mid-May 1986 were 7.3 and 7.6 mm, compared to mean sizes of 8.0 and 8.6 mm of larvae living within the bay. We suggest predation by alewives on yellow perch larvae may reduce yellow perch recruitment in Lake Ontario as well as in other Great Lakes.

Effects of Illumination and Prey Contrast on Survival and Growth of Larval Yellow Perch Perca flavescens

Abstract The influence of illumination and prey contrast on survival, growth, and feeding of larval yellow perch fed Artemia sp. nauplii was tested in an experimental upflow culture system. The treatment with high light level and high prey contrast (205 lux, black background) supported the best survival (mean, 44.2%) and growth (mean total length, 8.9 mm; mean wet weight, 5.0 mg) from hatching to age 14 d. Mean survival was 37.2% when light was low and prey contrast high (75 lux, black background). In the remainder of the tests, survival to age 14 d ranged from 0 to 6.9%. Low light and low prey contrast caused a 1–2 d delay in initial feeding. Visibility of the prey resulting from contrast with the surroundings, rather than light level, accounted for most of the variation in the ability of yellow perch larvae to acquire adequate food.

Selection of Live Food by Captive Yellow Perch Larvae

Selection of Live Food by Captive Yellow Perch Larvae

Distribution of Larval Yellow Perch ( Perca Flavescens) in Nearshore Waters of Southeastern Lake Michigan

Spatial and temporal distribution of larval yellow perch ( Perca flavescens) in southeastern Lake Michigan was described from samples collected during 1973–1981 with plankton nets and benthic sleds in water 0.5 to 21 m deep. Yellow perch larvae ≤ 7.5 mm total length were numerous from mid-May to early or mid-July. Larvae taken before mid-June hatched from eggs spawned in inland waters, rather than in Lake Michigan. Those larvae appearing early occurred chiefly in shallow water (≤1.5 m), whereas larvae caught later were chiefly distributed in deeper water (≥ 6 m). Larval perch abundance was similar at all bottom depths ≥ 6 m, was low in surface water during the day, and low near bottom at night. At 0.5- and 1.5-m stations, significantly more larvae were caught at night than during the day.

Effectiveness of Fine Mesh Cylindrical Wedge-Wire Screens in Reducing Entrainment of Lake Michigan Ichthyoplankton

Samples of ichthyoplankton entrained through 2.0-mm and 9.5-mm-slot opening cylindrical wedge-wire screens and through an open pipe (control) were collected in June, July, and August 1979, 1067 m off the southeast shore of Lake Michigan at a depth of 10.7 m. Screens were designed for a flow rate of 1.9 m3 min−1 at 15.2 cm s−1 through slot velocity. Ambient composition and density of ichthyoplankton were determined by net tows. Rainbow smelt (Osmerus mordax), alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus), and yellow perch (Perca flavescens) larvae were common in both entrainment and tow collections. Eggs were found almost exclusively in entrainment collections. Ambient larval fish densities were about 11 times greater than those found in entrainment collections. Total entrainments through either screen and the open pipe were not statistically significant. Larval avoidance and, to a lesser extent, screen exclusion were responsible for the low entrainment. We estimated that about 90% of native fish larvae at the site avoided pumping.Key words: Lake Michigan, fish larvae, fish eggs, ichthyoplankton, entrainment, power plants, avoidance

Effects of suspended sediment on fish eggs and larvae: A laboratory assessment

Eggs and larvae of 6 species of anadromous and estuarine fish indigenous to the Chesapeake Bay were exposed to concentrations of suspended sediment ranging from a few mg l −1 to 1000 mg l −1 to determine the effects of different concentrations on hatching success and short term survival. The egg experiments indicated that concentrations of up to 1000 mg l −1 did not significantly affect the hatching success of yellow perch, blueback herring, alewife or American shad eggs. Concentrations of 1000 mg l −1 significantly reduced ( P < 0·05) the hatching success of white perch and striped bass, but lower concentrations did not. Experiments with larvae indicated that concentrations of ⩾500 mg l −1 significantly reduced ( P < 0·05) the survival of striped bass and yellow perch larvae exposed for 48–96 h. American shad larvae appeared to be less tolerant than the other two species tested. Concentrations ⩾100 mg l −1 significantly reduced the survival of shad larvae continuously exposed for 96 h. The significance of these results are discussed relative to natural and man-induced changes in sediment loading of estuaries.

Sustained Swimming Ability of Larvae of Walleye (Stizostedion vitreum vitreum) and Yellow Perch (Perca flavescens)

Sustained swimming ability of limnetic larvae of walleye and yellow perch from Oneida Lake, New York, was compared in an experimental apparatus. The current velocity that 50% of the larvae could sustain in 1-hr tests was recorded for each 1-mm length class. Yellow perch larvae swam better than walleye larvae for length classes less than 9–10 mm total length (TL), but swimming ability of the two species was equal for length classes from 9 to 15 mm. Velocities that larvae under 9.5 mm TL could sustain were less than 3.0 cm/sec, and it was concluded that newly hatched young of both species would be subject to transport by lake currents of greater velocity. Relative swimming ability, expressed as the number of body lengths/sec that a larva could sustain for 1 hr, approached an asymptote between 3 and 4 lengths/sec for larvae longer than 9.5 mm. The greater swimming ability of newly hatched yellow perch larvae, compared with that of walleyes, appeared to be related to the smaller yolk sac of yellow perch at hatching.