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The Nonindigenous Occurrences section of the NAS species profiles has a new structure. The section is now dynamically updated from the NAS database to ensure that it contains the most current and accurate information. Occurrences are summarized in Table 1, alphabetically by state, with years of earliest and most recent observations, and the tally and names of drainages where the species was observed. The table contains hyperlinks to collections tables of specimens based on the states, years, and drainages selected. References to specimens that were not obtained through sighting reports and personal communications are found through the hyperlink in the Table 1 caption or through the individual specimens linked in the collections tables.

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Common name: Yellow Perch

Taxonomy: available through www.itis.gov

Identification: Becker (1983); Page and Burr (1991); Etnier and Starnes (1993); Jenkins and Burkhead (1994).

Size: 40 cm.

Native Range: Atlantic, Arctic, Great Lakes, and Mississippi River basins from Nova Scotia and Quebec west to Great Slave Lake, Northwest Territories, and south to Ohio, Illinois, and Nebraska; south in Atlantic drainages to Santee River, South Carolina (Page and Burr 1991). Goode (1884) reported the species east of the Alleghany Mountains as far south as Georgia.

Alaska	Hawaii	Puerto Rico & Virgin Islands	Guam Saipan

Native range data for this species provided in part by NatureServe

Hydrologic Unit Codes (HUCs) Explained
Interactive maps: Point Distribution Maps

Means of Introduction: Primarily introduced through stocking, either intentional release by fisheries agencies or bait-bucket transers by anglers.

Status: Established in most areas where introduced. Extirpated in Arkansas.

Impact of Introduction: Yellow Perch compete with trout for food and likely prey on young trout (Coots 1966). Nonnative predators, including Yellow Perch, have been shown to reduce the abundance and diversity of native prey species in several Pacific Northwest rivers (Hughes and Herlihy 2012).

Remarks: Although Yerger (1977) and Lee et al. (1980 et seq.) considered this species to be introduced into the Apalachicola River in Florida, it may actually be native. Because the Apalachicola drainage was not adequately sampled in early years, introduced status may be incorrectly assumed for some species. Yellow Perch was first collected in the Mobile basin circa 1850, long before any stocking took place, indicating the species was native to this region. This record was overlooked by Lee et al. (1980 et seq.). Hence, Perca flavescens may be native to eastern Gulf drainages in Alabama, Florida, and Georgia, not introduced. Populations in Atlantic coastal drainages of Georgia, such as the Altamaha and Savannah, have been reported (Dahlberg and Scott 1971b) to be introduced. In fact we believe these populations are more likely native. Dill and Cordone (1997) gave a detailed history of this species and its introduction into California.

References: (click for full references)

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Baxter, G.T., and J.R. Simon. 1970. Wyoming Fishes. Wyoming Game and Fish Department, Cheyenne, WY.

Becker, G.C. 1983. Fishes of Wisconsin. University of Madison Press, Madison, WI.

Beckman, W.C. Guide to the fishes of Colorado. Colorado Department of Game and Fish, Boulder, CO.

Behnke, R.J., and D.E. Benson. 1980. Endangered and threatened fishes of the upper Colorado River basin. Cooperative Extension Service Bulletin 503A, Colorado State University, Ft. Collins, CO.

Boschung, H.T. 1992. Catalog of freshwater and marine fishes of Alabama. Bulletin of the Alabama Museum of Natural History 14:1-266.

Bond, C.E. 1994. Keys to Oregon freshwater fishes. Oregon State University Bookstores, Corvallis, OR.

Bowers, G.A. 1905. Report of the Commissioner of Fisheries to the Secretary of Commerce and Labor for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1904. Government Printing office, Washington, DC.

Bowers, G.A. 1906. The distribution of food fishes during the fiscal year 1906. Report of the Commissioner of Fisheries for the Fiscal Year 1906 and Special Papers, Bureau of Fisheries Document 613, Government Printing office, Washington, DC.

Brown, C.J.D. 1971. Fishes of Montana. Montana State University, Bozeman, MT.

Burr, B.M., and M.L. Warren, Jr. 1986. A distributional atlas of Kentucky fishes. Kentucky State Nature Preserves Commission, Frankfort, KY.

Burr, B.M., and L.M. Page. 1986. Zoogeography of the fishes of the lower Ohio-upper Mississippi basin. 287-324 in C.H. Hocutt and E.O. Wiley, eds. The zoogeography of North American freshwater fishes. John Wiley and Sons, New York, NY.

Chapman, W.M. 1942. Alien fishes in the waters of the Pacific northwest. California Fish and Game 28:9-15.

Coots, M. 1966. Yellow perch. 426-430 in A. Calhoun, ed. Inland Fisheries Management. California Department of Fish and Game.

Cross, F.B. 1967. Handbook of fishes of Kansas. State Biological Survey and University of Kansas Meuseum of Natural History, Topeka, KS.

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Dahlberg, M.D., and D.C. Scott. 1971. The freshwater fishes of Georgia. Bulletin of the Georgia Academy of Science 29:1-64.

Dahlberg, M.D., and D.C. Scott. 1971. Introductions of freshwater fishes in Georgia. Bulletin of the Georgia Academy of Science 29:245-252.

Deacon, J.E., and J.E. Williams. 1984. Annotated list of the fishes of Nevada. Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington 97(1):103-118.

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Ellis, M.M. 1974. Fishes of Colorado. University of Colorado Studies 11(1):1-136.

Etnier, D.A., and W.C. Starnes. 1993. The fishes of Tennessee. University of Tennessee Press, Knoxville, TN.

Goode, G.B. 1884. The Fisheries and Fishery Industries of the United States. Section I: natural history of useful aquatic animals. Government Printing Office, Washington.

Gray, R.H., and D.D. Dauble. 1977. Checklist and relative abundance of fish species from the Hanford reach of the Columbia River. Northwest Science 51(3):208-215.

Hall, G.E. 1956. Additions to the fish fauna of Oklahoma with a summary of introduced species. Southwestern Naturalist 1(1):16-26.

Halliwell, D.B. 2003. Introduced fish in Maine. MAPB series: Focus on Freshwater Biodiversity.

Hocutt, C.H., R.E. Jenkins, and J.R. Stauffer, Jr. 1986. Zoogeography of the fishes of the central Appalachians and central Atlantic Coastal Plain. 161-212 in C.H. Hocutt and E.O. Wiley, eds. The zoogeography of North American freshwater fishes. John Wiley and Sons, New York, NY.

Holton, G.D. 1990. A field guide to Montana fishes. Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks, Helena, MT.

Hubbs, C., R.J. Edwards, and G.P. Garrett. 1991. An annotated checklist of freshwater fishes of Texas, with key to identification of species. Texas Journal of Science, Supplement 43(4):1-56.

Hubert, W. 1994. Exotic fish. 158-174 in T.L. Parrish, and S.H. Anderson, eds. Exotic species manual. Wyoming Game and Fish Department, Laramie, WY.

Hughes, R.M. and A.T. Herlihy. 2012. Patterns in catch per unit effort of native prey fish and alien piscivorous fish in 7 Pacific Northwest USA rivers. Fisheries 37(5):201-211.

Idaho Fish and Game. 1990. Fisheries management plan 1991-1995. Appendix I - a list of Idaho fishes and their distribution by drainage. Idaho Fish and Game, Boise, ID.

Jenkins, R.E., and N.M. Burkhead. 1994. Freshwater Fishes of Virginia. American Fisheries Society, Bethesda, MD.

Johnson, R.S. 1915. The distribution of fish and fish eggs during the fiscal year 1914. Appendix I to the Report of the U.S. Commissioner of Fisheries for 1914. Bureau of Fisheries Document 808.

Kilby, J.D., E. Crittenden, and L.E. Williams. 1959. Several fishes new to Florida freshwaters. Copeia 1959(1):77-78.

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Lee, D.S., C.R. Gilbert, C.H. Hocutt, R.E. Jenkins, D.E. McAllister, and J.R. Stauffer, Jr. 1980. Atlas of North American freshwater fishes. North Carolina State Museum of Natural History, Raleigh, NC.

Lee, D.S., A. Norden, C.R. Gilbert, and R. Franz. 1976. A list of the freshwater fishes of Maryland and Delaware. Chesapeake Science 17(3):205-211.

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Miller, R.R., and J.R. Alcorn. 1946. The introduced fishes of Nevada, with a history of their introduction. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 73:173-193.

Miller, R.R., and C.H. Lowe. 1967. Part 2. Fishes of Arizona. 133-151 in C.H. Lowe, ed. The Vertebrates of Arizona. University of Arizona Press, Tucson, AZ.

Minckley, W.L. 1973. Fishes of Arizona. Arizona Fish and Game Department, Sims Printing Company, Inc., Phoenix, AZ.

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Other Resources:
Distribution in Illinois - Illinois Natural History Survey

Global Invasive Species Database Factsheet

US Fish and Wildlife Service Ecological Risk Screening Summary for Perca flavescens

Author: Pam Fuller, and Matt Neilson

Peer Review Date: 5/29/2012

This information is preliminary or provisional and is subject to revision. It is being provided to meet the need for timely best science. The information has not received final approval by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and is provided on the condition that neither the USGS nor the U.S. Government shall be held liable for any damages resulting from the authorized or unauthorized use of the information.