Perch article.

[Chrisb]

Here is an interesting article sent by a friend about perch in Lake Erie. It does not look great for the population of perch.

 

https://www.dispatch.com/story/sports/2022/02/06/fishers-should-learn-their-daily-limits-yellow-perch-march/6644094001/

[Bass-turd]

Are there any articles where fish populations are booming? How come there’s never any of those?

[Darryl L]

Bad news is perch population is struggling.  Good news is walleye numbers are exploding in Lake erie. 

[steellee]

18 hours ago, Bass-turd said:

Are there any articles where fish populations are booming? How come there’s never any of those?

Tonnes of articles about the great success of the walleye on Lake Erie for last few years now. Mostly put out by USA as they seem to have much more interest in fisheries management...

[smerchly]

The lakes are constantly changing . We were worried about  the goby invasion years ago as they eat eggs from other fish . Now , we are catching jumbo bass and perch and king size eyes ,  which eat the gobies . And the gobies eat the zebra mussels ... It's a question of balance, as the Moody Blues says ......

All those dinks will be big dinks in a couple years  .  But  high tech catching methods from both anglers and trawlers can reduce perch pops. quickly .

I would be happy taking home 3 or 4 walleye that weigh about 3 lbs ave. rather than catch the 10lb plus . or a nice feed of 9" perch ! 

One question I don't have an answer for is how many of those dinks survive when tossed back into 60 fow ? 

 

[Darryl L]

If the perch population is struggling so much why not put a ban on commercial fishing for a few years until it comes back up?  Other places have done it. I may be wrong but I don't think commercial fishing is allowed on US side of erie? 

[Captain Hooksets]

2 hours ago, Darryl L said:

If the perch population is struggling so much why not put a ban on commercial fishing for a few years until it comes back up?  Other places have done it. I may be wrong but I don't think commercial fishing is allowed on US side of erie? 

That too, but also put a lower limit on perch for the recreational anglers. There’s no reason that a boat of 3 guys need 150 perch an outing. A lot of these guys do it over and over again as well while the perch fishing is hot. 
 

The rise of the walleye population could be a contributing factor. Walleye feed heavily on perch. 
 

 

[Bass-turd]

6 hours ago, smerchly said:

One question I don't have an answer for is how many of those dinks survive when tossed back into 60 fow ?

Most fish species won’t survive after being brought up quickly from over 30ft, too much internal damage from swollen swim bladders…60ft will kill most anything except lakers

 

In the fall or winter I never fish past 30 feet unless I’m definitely keeping, the small fish that get thrown back will swim away but usually will die, I believe I heard this from Mr. Pyzer

[smerchly]

On 2/6/2022 at 2:46 PM, Bass-turd said:

Are there any articles where fish populations are booming? How come there’s never any of those?

 

I got a shot of this bass passing by my camera yesterday .  I can't eat  well with my mask on either .   

 

 

[Snags]

Having been out on Erie a few times over the years, many recreational anglers don't give a darn about limits when it comes to their perch.  Stayed at one operation and it was insane how many perch each group were filleting and how they were being bagged and frozen.  The operator was trying to tell people the regulations, but I KNOW WHAT I AM DOING.

[kevin]

The commercial fishery takes it's fair share.  And with the dollars it generates, it's not going anywhere anytime soon.  On the other hand,  recreational perch angling has evolved 10 fold in the last decade or two.  Back in the day, when a much smaller percentage of anglers chased them, with much less effective methods, the congregated spawning fish had more of a chance.  

 

We used to use 150ft anchor ropes and buoy markers to attempt to stop over top of small schools.  Today, it is common to see boats right on top of each other, all running top of the line equipment.  It's no longer perch fishing, it's perch harvesting.   So it's only a matter of time when recreational angler limits will be dropped I think, as there's already talk of it state's side. 

 

 

 

[smerchly]

5 hours ago, kevin said:

recreational angler limits will be dropped I

If the fish population is being threatened by anglers , they could change the limits quickly by using the conservation limits for all fish .  

[smerchly]

13 hours ago, smerchly said:

If the fish population is being threatened by anglers , they could change the limits quickly by using the conservation limits for all fish .  

On second thought (after self argument),  we should look at each species that are either very abundant or threatened , and  circumstances in each area .

For instance ....we have limits of 4 walleye and slot sizes in many northern lakes . whereas Erie has no slot and a limit of 6 .

It's a "question of balance"   M.B.    

 

[kevin]

2 hours ago, smerchly said:

On second thought (after self argument),  we should look at each species that are either very abundant or threatened , and  circumstances in each area .

For instance ....we have limits of 4 walleye and slot sizes in many northern lakes . whereas Erie has no slot and a limit of 6 .

It's a "question of balance"   M.B.    

 

Well, given the abundant walleye population which continues to grow even with substantial commercial and angling pressure, you might see those limits go up.  There is talk on the US side about raising walleye limits.  That high population of walleye alone, can have a big impact on perch. 

 

I'm not saying it's recreational anglers having the biggest impact on perch.   But I bet you'll see recreational limits drop before any major changes to commercial fishing.