DISCUSSION ON YELLOW PERCH 



Mr. Ward T. Bower : It occurs to me that the yellow perch is well 

 worth consideration at this time. I may be something of a yellow perch 

 crank even as we have our bass and trout cranks. If so, my enthusiasm 

 is due to the high place which I think this excellent food and game fish 

 deserves. In order to stimulate a little discussion, I have at the sug- 

 gestion of Dr. H. M. Smith, of the Bureau of Fisheries, brought a jar 

 containing some yellow perch ova, which perhaps you will be interested 

 in seeing. As you will notice, the eggs arc in the form of strings or 

 ribbons. These are green eggs and they retain this general appearance 

 practically throughout the period of incubation. It is interesting to 

 know that generally a yellow perch weighing say a pound will deposit 

 a ribbon of eggs which a few hours afterwards will weigh twice as 

 much as the fish. Contrary to the general belief that yellow percli 

 eggs are embedded in or held together by a membrane, you will 

 observe, upon careful examination, that they are merely attached one 

 to the other; and after hatching there is practically no residue. In 

 hatching jars the ribbons stand up very much after the fashion that they 

 do in this container. I think it was Mr. Clark who t(^ld me that he had 

 difficulty in supporting the ribbons in jars. Often they collapsed and 

 fungus and other troubles developed to the extent that the eggs were 

 practically a total loss. This may have been due in a measure to very 

 cold water or other unfavorable conditions, but so far as I know these 

 troubles have not been experienced elsewhere. I trust that wc may have 

 a free discussion on this point. 



It is worth noting that we have changed the standard of measure- 

 ment for yellow perch eggs. In a report issued twelve or fifteen years 

 ago I think the statement is made that perch eggs measure at the rate 

 of 28,000 per quart. At the present time the Bureau is recording them 

 at the rate of 130,000 per (|uart, quite a difference from the early 

 standard. 



Mr. Titcomb: I was thinking that it was a little less than that. 



Mr. Ward T. Bower: Quite recently it was determined by actual 

 count and otherwise that the average number i)er quart is 130,000. 



Mr. Meehan : In our measurement we made between 70,000 and 

 (SO.OOO, but I dare say you have been able lo give more time and study to 

 it than we did. I know the Bureau is not a])t to over measure its eggs. 



Mr. Ward T. Bower: No doubt there is considerable variation in the 

 number per quart, according to locality, size of fish, etc., as in the case 

 of brook trout. 



Mr. Titcomu: I think that ItlO.OOO is a very conservative measure- 

 ment. 



