246 
BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF FISHERIES 
Fig. 139.— Egg recently fertilized 
other hauls in the same locality a preponderance of males also occurred, as a total of 91 males and 
26 females was taken. The smallest ripe male in these lots of fish measured 109 millimeters (4)^ 
inches), and the smallest ripe female measured 121 millimeters (4% inches) in length. 
The eggs are small (0.73 millimeter in diameter) and hatch in six days at a water tempera- 
ture of 51° to 53° F. At the time of hatching the fry measure 2.3 millimeters in length, reaching 
3 millimeters at the end of 24 hours. (Ryder, 1887, pp. 518-519.) The eggs may be artificially 
stripped and fertilized; millions are hatched annually by fish-cultural stations situated on the 
streams tributary to Chesapeake Bay. 
Virtually nothing is known of the rate of growth of the white 
perch, and our collections are inadequate and too erratic to permit 
the addition of any tangible information. Many fish taken in April 
ranged in length from 74 to 140 millimeters and may have been 
about 1 year old. The individuals of a collection made in the lower 
Rappahannock on July 25 ranged in length from 55 to 65 milli- 
meters. These fish probably were the product of the last previous 
spawning season. 
The white perch is one of the important food fishes of the 
Chesapeake. During 1920 it ranked eighth in quantity and sev- 
enth in value, the catch being 535,080 pounds, worth $51,914. 
In Maryland the white perch ranked sixth in quantity and 
fifth in value, the catch being 316,915 pounds, worth $32,026. 
Of this amount, 42 per cent was caught in pound nets, 28 per cent in fyke nets, 21 per cent in 
haul seines, 6 per cent in gill nets, 3 per cent with lines, and 3 per cent with other apparatus. 
Dorchester, Cecil, Kent, and Baltimore Counties take first place in Maryland, with catches 
ranging from 53,400 to 41,000 pounds. 
In Virginia it ranked twelfth in quantity and ninth in value, the catch being 218,165 pounds, 
worth $19,888. Of this amount, 32 per cent was taken in fyke nets, 28 per cent in pound nets, 
24 per cent in haul seines, 9 per cent with gill nets, and 7 per cent with other apparatus. The 
largest catches are attributed to Norfolk and King George Counties, with 28,350 and 23,440 pounds, 
respectively. A catch of 420,000 pounds of white perch was made in Back Bay, Princess Anne 
County. This body of water, however, is removed from Chesapeake Bay and connects with the 
Atlantic Ocean, and therefore the catch is excluded from the statistics for the bay. 
This fish is caught in all parts of Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries. It is commonest in 
brackish water, and the largest numbers are taken in the lower sections of tributary streams. Good 
catches, however, are also made in the 
spring, during the spawning season, far 
up various rivers where the water is always 
fresh. It is taken chiefly in the spring and 
the fall, from March until May and from 
September until November. A small num- 
ber are caught in the winter with otter 
trawls or drift nets while fishing for striped 
bass. In the lower part of the bay, chiefly near the mouth of the Rappahannock River, a few 
pound nets fish all winter and report fair catches of white perch. In the upper sections of the 
bay good catches are made with pound nets during April and May. It was not infrequently taken 
by the Fish Hawk during the winter with the beam trawl in comparatively deep water. The great- 
est depth in which it was secured was 138 feet. 
Various names are given to this fish in Chesapeake Bay, but the one in most general use, espe- 
cially north of the York River, is “white perch.” In the vicinity of Norfolk “blue-nosed perch” 
is the most common name, whereas in various other parts of the bay “gray perch” and “black perch” 
are used. These various common names lead to confusion, especially as the name “white perch” 
is used in the vicinity of Norfolk for Bairdi-ella chrysura, a species belonging to the croaker family. 
The name “white perch” is the most widely used of all the various names. It would seem advan- 
tageous, in order to prevent confusion, if this name alone were to be adopted throughout the Chesa- 
peake region. 
