White perch were accidentally introduced by one of our State fish hatcheries. The presence of shad compound the white perch problem as predators prefer eating shad over spiny white perch.
https://www.fws.gov/fisheries/ans/erss/highrisk/Morone-americana-WEB-7-30-2014.pdf“White perch was brought from New Jersey to Nebraska in 1964, and fry produced that year in a hatchery were accidentally introduced into a reservoir that provided access to the Missouri River (Hergenrader and Bliss 1971).
Walleye or White Bass eggs can make up 100% of White Perch diet depending on which fish is spawning. During a three-year study, this diet was found to be unique in that: 1) eggs were eaten for a comparatively long time, 2) they were the only significant food item eaten by adults during two of the three years, 3) large volumes were eaten per individual, and 4) most fish were feeding. White Perch also feeds heavily on minnows Notropis spp
“Within three years after being introduced into a Nebraska reservoir, White Perch had completely replaced the previously dominant Black Bullhead Ameiurus melas. Species composition changed from 74 percent Black Bullhead to 70 percent White Perch in that
time frame (Hergenrader and Bliss 1971).”
