Yellow Perch Length–Fecundity and Length–Egg Size Relationships in Indiana Waters of Lake Michigan

Abstract

This study was undertaken to quantify the length–fecundity and length–egg size relationships for yellow perch Perca flavescens in the Indiana waters of Lake Michigan. Data were pooled from gill-net collections made in 1985, 1986, and 1999, resulting in a wide length range of mature female yellow perch (172–332 mm total length (TL)). The length–fecundity relationship was log₁₀ F = −3.220 + 3.223·log₁₀TL (r ² = 0.89), where F is fecundity. The mean preserved egg volume (V; mL) increased with yellow perch TL and was represented by the following equation: log₁₀ V = −2.06 + 1.10·log₁₀TL (r ² = 0.48). These results reveal that larger females produced both more and larger eggs than did smaller females. Therefore, the intense harvest targeting large yellow perch (primarily females) in the 1980s and 1990s may have had an effect on the quantity and quality of eggs spawned by the population, possibly resulting in reduced recruitment.