Pond Boss Forums STOCKING A NEW POND Types of fish to choose Morone Americana (white perch)

Greetings,

I've read through the archives and know the concerns and complaints about the havoc White Perch play outside their native range. I'm curious about any thought or experience with them within their native range, - in small ponds with BG, as added forage for LMB and Chain Pickerel.

My understanding with respect to their tendency to stunt is that they lay a ton of eggs, are sexually mature at a very early age, and are slow growers. I have also read that a large portion of their diet is comprised of the eggs of other fish. I'm curious if predation upon BG and LMB eggs would be limited since the nest is guarded…. as opposed to fishes that simply broadcast their eggs

Does anyone see a role for white perch as added LMB and CP forage in a predator heavy small pond, or would the problems greatly outweigh any benefit?

White perch here in the midwest are problematic because of their high fecundity, competition with desirable YOY for forage and resources, and their supposed predation on eggs from more desirable species [WE most notably here in NE]. Reservoirs infested with WP are reputedly devoid of any natural WE reproduction.

You bring up a very interesting point, however - there is a natural range for this fish - East Coast I believe is where they started. I know from personal experience they are pretty spiny and their gills flare so they don't seem like an ideal forage species in my mind when compared to something like a shiner or chub. I think anything from the sunfish family would serve as a preferred source of forage by your apex predators considering the gill flaring. I will say, however, that mature WP are pretty good eating - I prefer them to BG or W/BC...taste a lot like YP and WE IMO.

It's been so ingrained in us out here to regard the WP as TOXIC that I don't think I can lend the stocking experiment my objective opinion. I would certainly worry about flooding any watersheds where they weren't desired...but if they are native in MD [I think they are] then you probably lack the regulations like NE's that prohibit returning the fish to the watershed once caught, or moving them to any other watershed, or talking about them in a bar, or thinking/dreaming about them in any manner whatsoever.

I don't think this helped - but I thought I'd end my drought of posting and get some fellas rolling on your topic.

Thanks for the reply...

They are quite native to my locale, so no worries of contamination. I'm almost certain that I once read a study indicating that chain pickerel consume them in quantity; however, all my Googling today turns up nothing.

Someone [most likely Eric] will weigh in soon.

How large do your WP get out there? I've gotten into some up to 12" and they were delicious...I imagine if they are the sole basis of forage in a pond the CP and LMB would keep their numbers in check and you'd have a nice population of larger fish for harvest. To my limited knowledge this would serve as groundbreaking research for the Forum...which is pretty cool.

I asked a similar question a few months back on here about WP because they are just so common around here. I had some in a pond but they never reproduced, the lack of reproduction meant their was no overpopulation nor stunting and they did quite well. I caught several in excess of 14".

WP have certain requirements needed to reproduce which many small ponds do not contain. So, if you are willing to take the chance, they may make an interesting put and take fishery. Put small wild caught fingerlings into your pond to add to the mix of your fishery but hope they do not reproduce. However, this situation doesn't fit your goals as an added forage fish for your bass and pickerel.

WP make up a large percentage of the diet of LMB in the Potomac River which although is not the Eastern Shore of MD, is near by and has much of the same fish community. The high percentage of WP in the LMB diet of Potomac River LMB is probably because WP are so common not because they are an ideal forage for them.

When I was running my seine last week in the Potomac collecting forage fish for my forage pond I probably caught a couple thousand 1/2"-1" white perch, YOY fish. I caught more WP than all other species combined by far! I am sure LMB and CP do eat them. However, I just don't see them as an ideal forage for them as compared to BG or any of the minnow species found in the area.

Although WP are native to the eastern shore of MD, LMB and BG are not... So technically the use of WP in a LMB/BG pond is not really a natural combination. LMB and BG are not genetically adapted to WP in their world. When they did a study on the diet of the newly introduced northern snakehead in the Potomac River, they found that almost 80% of its diet was made up of WP and banded killifish. Again because that is what was there for them to eat. I fish for crappie a lot in the Potomac and I can say if you put a 2" WP on as bait, you rarely catch any crappies with it, however if you put a 2" GSH on, you hammer the crappies. How they can tell the difference between two silvery fish that small I have no clue?

Personally, I'd skip on the WP. WP do not affect BG, bass and other fish in the Potomac because the Potomac is a food rich body of water. The bottom is just full of scuds and grass shrimp and piles of other tasty foods for both WP and sunfish to eat. Even walleye do well in the Potomac with WP sharing the water with them. The Potomac is a vast river with lots of space and food. All that space and food allows WP, walleye and others all fit in together. In a smaller pond environment, that often isn't the case. When the WP make their spawning runs in the spring, they're fun to catch and taste just as good if not better than crappie. I just don't see any advantage they would add to your typical small pond except as I mentioned, as a put and take fishery to add some diversity, but there is that risk they will naturally reproduce and since there aren't commercial sources for them, they'd have to be caught fro the wild and there is the risk of disease and parasite introduction...

Growing up on the western shores of MD I have to second CJB's comments on WP. I think WP are common forage for Stripers and bluefish as the three species normally run hand in hand. WP are rather spiny and from what I remember the poison hurts quite a bit. Given the choice between BG, GS and WP the bass is going to take the BG and GS almost everytime.

However given the right circumstances and food choices (ie. Potomac) the LMB will eat them. I've also read 70 grass carp per acre will take care of FA, but I don't think that's creating a balanced fishery or ecosystem.