Here is a little info from several sources.



Yellow perch must undergo an extended period of cooler water temperatures to insure

proper development of their reproductive organs. Hokanson (1977) stated that this chill

period should be a minimum of 160 days at 50 oF or below, though Kolkovski and

Dabrowski (1998) reported the successful off-season (September-October) spawning of

yellow perch held in culture tanks and exposed to a chill period of 60 days at 50 oF.



The first egg ribbons were collected from the tanks on March 27th, and

spawning in all tanks continued through April 21st. Many of the ribbons were in small

segments (< 8 in) and these were incubated in McDonald egg jars (Figure 2) instead of on

the incubation racks. Water temperatures in the tanks ranged from 53.5 - 63.0 oF in

March. The majority of egg ribbon releases (referred to as peak spawning) occurred

during two distinct time periods, April 2nd - 6th and April 11th – 20th. Water temperatures

during these peak periods ranged from 53.4 – 59.4 oF and 53.4 – 67.3 oF, respectively



Ponds were inspected

daily for the presence of egg ribbons deposited on the trees. The first sighting of egg

ribbons occurred on April 17th (water temperature approximately 62.5 oF). It is possible

that spawning was occurring previous to this point, as it was impossible to see any trees

that were anchored to the bottom of the pond.



The fertilized eggs hatch within 10

days if water temperatures are slowly raised from

spawning temperature (15¼C) to 20¼C in increments

of 1¼C per day.



Common name: Yellow perch, lake perch

Scientific name: Perca flavescens

Production potential: Moderate, due to slow growth of males

Marketing potential: Potential: High

Size: 3-5 fish per pound

Market: Food

Temperature requirements: Growing: 55-78 F

Spawning: 50 F

Lethal: NA

Feed requirements: Protein: 32-40%

Fat: NA

Spawning requirements: Fish spawn in the spring when water temperatures reach 50 F. Eggs are

contained within a gelatinous ribbon. A 0.5 lb female will produce 10,000-

20,000 eggs. Eggs hatch in approximately two weeks at 53 F. Spawns may be

obtained by stripping eggs from ripe females and mixing with milt from males in

a dry container, mixed thoroughly and then water is added to activate the

sperm and permit fertilization.