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Perca is the genus of fish referred to as perch or, sometimes, yellow perch, a group of freshwater fish
Fish

A fish is any marine biology vertebrate animal that is typically ectothermic , covered with scale , and equipped with two sets of paired fins and several unpaired fins....
 belonging to the family Percidae
Percidae

The Percidae are a family of perciform fish found in fresh and brackish waters of the Northern Hemisphere. The family contains about 200 species in ten genera....
. Perch, of which there are three species in different geographical areas, lend their name to a large order of vertebrate
Vertebrate

Vertebrates are members of the subphylum Vertebrata, chordates with Vertebras or Vertebral columns. The grouping sometimes includes the hagfish, which have no vertebrae, but are genetically quite closely related to lampreys, which do have vertebrae....
s: the Perciformes, from the Greek
Greek language

Greek is an Indo-European languages native to the southern Balkan peninsula, the language of the Greek people. It forms an independent branch within Indo-European....
 perke meaning perch, and the Latin
Latin

Latin is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Through the Military history of the Roman Empire, Latin spread throughout the Mediterranean and a large part of Europe....
 forma meaning shape.

Perch have "rough" or ctenoid
Ctenoid

Ctenoid means 'having the margin toothed like a comb'. It is used to the scales of some fishes, such as perciforms that have such a toothed margin....
 scales.






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Perca is the genus of fish referred to as perch or, sometimes, yellow perch, a group of freshwater fish
Fish

A fish is any marine biology vertebrate animal that is typically ectothermic , covered with scale , and equipped with two sets of paired fins and several unpaired fins....
 belonging to the family Percidae
Percidae

The Percidae are a family of perciform fish found in fresh and brackish waters of the Northern Hemisphere. The family contains about 200 species in ten genera....
. Perch, of which there are three species in different geographical areas, lend their name to a large order of vertebrate
Vertebrate

Vertebrates are members of the subphylum Vertebrata, chordates with Vertebras or Vertebral columns. The grouping sometimes includes the hagfish, which have no vertebrae, but are genetically quite closely related to lampreys, which do have vertebrae....
s: the Perciformes, from the Greek
Greek language

Greek is an Indo-European languages native to the southern Balkan peninsula, the language of the Greek people. It forms an independent branch within Indo-European....
 perke meaning perch, and the Latin
Latin

Latin is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Through the Military history of the Roman Empire, Latin spread throughout the Mediterranean and a large part of Europe....
 forma meaning shape.

Perch have "rough" or ctenoid
Ctenoid

Ctenoid means 'having the margin toothed like a comb'. It is used to the scales of some fishes, such as perciforms that have such a toothed margin....
 scales. On the anterior side of the head are the maxilla and lower mandible for the mouth, a pair of nostrils, and two lidless eye
Eye

Eyes are Organ that detect light, and send signals along the optic nerve to the visual system and other areas of the brain. Complex optical systems with resolving power have come in ten fundamentally different forms, and 96% of animal species possess a complex optical system....
s. On the posterior sides are the opercula, which are used to protect the gill
Gill

A gill is an anatomical structure found in many aquatic ecosystem organisms. It is a respiration organ whose function is the extraction of oxygen from water and the excretion of carbon dioxide....
s. Also there is the lateral line system which is sensitive to vibrations in the water. They have a pair of pectoral and pelvic fins. On the anterior end of the fish, there are two dorsal fins. The first one is spiny and the second is soft. There is also an anal fin, which is also considered spiny, and a caudal fin. Also there is a cloacal opening right behind the anal fin. All perciform fish share the perch's general morphology.

The type species
Type species

In taxonomy, a type species is the species that originally defined a genus . It is an individual specimen that fixes the name of a genus . Two different definitions are used interchangeably, in a general term and a botanical term....
 for this genus is the European perch
European perch

File:PercheCommune.jpgThe European perch is a highly predatory species of perch found in Europe and Asia. In some areas it is known as the redfin perch or English perch, and it is often referred to by the shortform perch....
.

Perch as a food fish


Perch are a popular panfish
Panfish

A Panfish, also spelled pan-fish or pan fish, is an edible game fish that usually doesn't outgrow the size of a frying pan. The term is also commonly used by anglers to refer to any small catch that will fit in a pan, but is large enough to be legal....
 and are considered to be very good eating; the commercial catch for them has always been in high demand. This has also led to considerable misuse of the term "perch" in the restaurant business in the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
, such as "ocean perch" (Rosefish) and "rock perch" (a small bass). Many restaurants will strive to correctly advertise the offering as "yellow lake perch", or the slightly more ambiguous "lake perch". "White perch
White perch

The white perch, Morone americana, is not a true Percidae but is, rather, a fish of the temperate bass family Moronidae, notable as a food and game fish in eastern North America....
", though good eating, is a completely different species of panfish common in New England
New England

New England is a region of the United States located in the northeastern corner of the country, bounded by the Atlantic Ocean, Canada and New York State, and consisting of the modern U.S....
, and not a member of the order Perciformes.

Angling


They can be caught with a variety of methods, but the two best methods are perhaps float fishing and lure fishing. Spinners work exceptionally well. When Float Fishing, the angler will want to have a disgorger at all times; Perch are notorious for swallowing the hook, and will need aid of a disgorger or forceps for unhooking. In many parts of the world they are also a favorite species among ice fishermen. They will take a variety of baits, including minnows, worms, maggots, bread and softshell crayfish.

Perch grow to around or more, but the most common fish to be caught are around or less, and anything over is considered a prize catch.

Species


Most authorities recognize three species of perch:

  • The European perch
    European perch

    File:PercheCommune.jpgThe European perch is a highly predatory species of perch found in Europe and Asia. In some areas it is known as the redfin perch or English perch, and it is often referred to by the shortform perch....
     (Perca fluviatilis) is found in Europe
    Europe

    Europe is, conventionally, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural , the Caspian Sea, and by the Caucasus Mountains to the southeast....
     and Asia
    Asia

    Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent. It covers 8.6% of the Earth's total surface area and, with over 4 billion people, it contains more than 60% of the world's current human population....
    . It is usually dark green with red fins. The European perch has been successfully introduced in New Zealand
    New Zealand

    New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses , and numerous Islands of New Zealand, most notably Stewart Island/Rakiura and the Chatham Islands....
     and Australia
    Australia

    Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the southern hemisphere comprising the Australia of the world's smallest continent, the major island of Tasmania, and numerous list of islands of Australia in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Oceans....
     where it is known as the redfin perch or English perch. In Australia they have bred into larger specimens.


  • The Balkhash perch
    Balkhash perch

    The Balkhash perch is a species of perch found in Kazakhstan, , Uzbekistan, and China. It is very similar to the European perch, and grows to a comparable size....
     (Perca schrenkii) is found in Kazakhstan
    Kazakhstan

    Kazakhstan, also Kazakstan , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a large Eurasian country in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Ranked as the List of countries by area as well as the world's largest landlocked country, it has a territory of 2,727,300 km? ....
    , (in Lake Balkhash
    Lake Balkhash

    Lake Balkhash is a lake in southeastern Kazakhstan, the second largest in Central Asia after the Aral Sea. It is a Endorheic that is part of the endorheic basin that includes the Caspian Sea and Aral seas....
     and Lake Alakol
    Lake Alakol

    Lake Alakol is a lake located at 347 m altitude in the Almaty Province and East Kazakhstan Province provinces, east central Kazakhstan, is the northwest extension of the region known as the Dzhungarian Gate....
    ), Uzbekistan
    Uzbekistan

    Uzbekistan, officially the Republic of Uzbekistan , is a Landlocked_country#Doubly_landlocked_country country in Central Asia, formerly part of the Soviet Union....
    , and China
    China

    China is a Culture of China, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
    . It is very similar to the European perch, and grows to a comparable size.


  • The Yellow perch
    Yellow perch

    The yellow perch is a species of perch found in the United States and Canada, where it is often referred to by the shortform perch. Yellow perch look similar to the European perch but are paler and more yellowish, with less red in the fins....
     (Perca flavescens), smaller and paler than the European perch
    European perch

    File:PercheCommune.jpgThe European perch is a highly predatory species of perch found in Europe and Asia. In some areas it is known as the redfin perch or English perch, and it is often referred to by the shortform perch....
    , is found in the United States
    United States

    The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
     and Canada
    Canada

    Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean....
    .


  • The Golden Perch
    Golden perch

    The golden perch, Macquaria ambigua, is an Australian native freshwater fish, primarily of the Murray River-Darling River river system.The genus name for golden perch ? Macquaria ? derives from the Macquarie River where the first species in the genus was collected....
     (Macquaria ambigua), native to Australia. Usually found west of the Great Dividing Range through the Murray Darling river system. Grows up to and .


  • The Silver Perch
    Silver Perch

    Silver perch are a medium sized freshwater fish endemic to the Murray-Darling river system in south-eastern Australia. Their scientific name comes from an aboriginal name for the species ? Bidyan ? that Major Mitchell recorded on his 1832 expedition....
     (Bidyanus bidyanus), native to Australia. Usually found in the Murray River though have been recorded north in the Darling River. Slightly larger than the Golden Perch
    Golden perch

    The golden perch, Macquaria ambigua, is an Australian native freshwater fish, primarily of the Murray River-Darling River river system.The genus name for golden perch ? Macquaria ? derives from the Macquarie River where the first species in the genus was collected....
    .


  • The Spangled Perch (Leiopotherapon unicolor), found throughout Australian waters, from pure freshwater to sea water though they spend most their life in fresh water. Considerably smaller than the Silver Perch
    Silver Perch

    Silver perch are a medium sized freshwater fish endemic to the Murray-Darling river system in south-eastern Australia. Their scientific name comes from an aboriginal name for the species ? Bidyan ? that Major Mitchell recorded on his 1832 expedition....
     and Golden Perch
    Golden perch

    The golden perch, Macquaria ambigua, is an Australian native freshwater fish, primarily of the Murray River-Darling River river system.The genus name for golden perch ? Macquaria ? derives from the Macquarie River where the first species in the genus was collected....
    , grows up the and .


For other perch not in the Perca genus, see Perch (disambiguation)
Perch (disambiguation)

Perch may refer to:*Perch , a rod, or branch of a tree etc, used as a roost by a bird*The USS Perch, one of two submarines in the United States Navy...
.