20 U. S. BUREAU OF FISHERIES 
and a weight of 1 to 2 pounds, though the average is probably 
somewhat lower. 
The natural range of the yellow perch is from Nova Scotia to 
North Carolina in coastwise waters and throughout the Great Lakes 
region and the upper Mississippi Valley. It is primarily a fish of 
small lakes and ponds but is also found in streams in many parts 
of its habitat. Through the agency of man it has been successfully 
transplanted in nonindigenous waters and its geographic range thus 
greatly extended. At the present time it inhabits various lakes in 
Washington, California, and other western States, and is also found 
in the Ohio River. 

Fic..4.—Perca flavescens. Yellow perch 
FOOD AND GAME QUALITIES 
The food qualities of the yellow perch are not surpassed by those 
of any of the fresh-water, spiny-rayed fishes with which it is usually 
classed. The flavor and texture of the flesh of all fishes, particu- 
larly the fresh-water species, vary with the environment. No fish 
can attain its highest excellence as to either food or game qualities 
in warm, sluggish, turbid waters. Taken from the clear, cool waters 
of a deep lake or pond, the flesh of the yellow perch will compare 
favorably with that of either species of black bass, the rock bass, or 
the pike perch. 
As a game fish the yellow perch has much to recommend it. Its 
small size precludes its being a great fighter, and because of this it 
may be taken by even the most inexperienced fisherman. _ It may be 
captured with hook and line at almost any season of the year and 
with any sort of bait. It will rise freely on occasion to the artificial 
fly or trolling spoon, and if angled for in cold, clear water at a depth 
of 25 to 40 feet a 1-pound fish will make a fight that is well worth the 
time of the angler. Perhaps its most commendable feature is that it 
affords sport to women and children, who are often not sufficiently 
venturesome to seek the larger species of game fishes. Many inland 
summer resorts are rendered more attractive because the women and 
children find themselves able to bring in good strings of delicious 
yellow perch, 
