"Perch" is the prototype for Order Perciformes (Perch-like fishes) to which most of our familiar fish belong. Perch are properly fresh water fish of which Walleye, Zander, and Yellow Perch are the most well known.
There are a number of other fish called "Perch" that are not actually perch, but there are also a number of other families that are officially called "Perch" (with qualifiers), and those are included here The Perch Families are fairly closely related to the Bass Families.
More on Varieties of Fish (very
large page).
Climbing Perch- not a perch - see Climbing Perch.Ocean Perch- is not a perch - see Rockfish.White Perch- is not a perch - see Bass - White Perch. |
Family Percidae These are "Perch proper". They are fresh water fish and do not venture into salt water - well, the Zander does that a little, but not much.
Walleye[Yellow Pike, American Zander, Sander vitreus | similar Sandre Canadien, Sand pickerel; Sander canadensis]
Pronounced "Wally", this largest member of the true perch family in
North America and can grow to 42 inches and 25 pounds, but the photo
specimen was 18-1/2 inches and 2-3/4 pounds. This freshwater fish is
found in the great lakes and in most major rivers in the Northeast of
the U.S. and Canada. It is found in the Mississippi river basin as far
south as Arkansas. Commercial aquaculture is in the development stages
but large numbers are hatched for restocking lakes and rivers.
Red List status "Not Evaluated".
Details and Cooking.
Zander[Pike Perch, Jack Salmon; Sander lucioperca | very similar - Volga Pikeperch; Sander volgensis]
This elongated perch is native to Eastern an Central Europe, Sweden,
Finland and Western Asia, but has been introduced into England and other
countries as a popular angling fish. It can grow to 39 inches and 44
pounds, but is commonly around 20 inches and is considered a very good
eating fish. Red List status is "Least Concern". Restaurants in Minnesota
have been busted for serving imported Zander as Walleye
(from which it is indistinguishable on the plate), so see Walleye for
Details and Cooking.
Photo by Elnuko contributed to the Public Domain.
Yellow Perch[Perca flavescens]
This North American native lives mainly in northern lakes and rivers,
but a few are found as far south as South Carolina. It can grow to
nearly 20 inches and 4-1/4 pounds, but is commonly quite a bit
smaller. Red List status "Not Evaluated".
Photo by U.S. Department of Agriculture = public domain.
Egli / European Perch[Perca flaviatilis]
Very similar to the North American Yellow Perch, but not yet proven to
be the same species. This perch infests the ponds, rivers and streams
of Europe and most of Siberia, except Spain and Italy which are too
warm for it. In Europe they grow to about 10 pounds, but they have been
introduced to New Zealand and Australia where the record is 23 pounds.
They are commonly marketed at around 10 inches. Considered an excellent
eating fish, caught wild and farmed. IUCN rated LC (Least Concern).
Photo by Dgp.martin distributed under license
Creative
Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported..
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Family Percichthyidae Australia is the center for this Perch Family, but some are found in East Asia and the southern reaches of South America. Most are strictly fresh water, but some venture into brackish waters.
Mandarin Fish[Chinese Perch, Siniperca chuatsi]
A fresh water fish native to China and the Amur River basin, Mandarin
Fish is an aggressive predator feeding entirely on the young of other
fish species. This fish is called for in many Chinese fish recipes
but is very rare here in Southern California - and rather expensive
when it is available. Now farmed as well as caught wild, this fish
can grow to nearly 28 inches and 17 pounds, but the photo specimen
was 11-1/4 inches long and weighed 15-5/8 ounces. Red list status:
Not Evaluated.
Details and Cooking.
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Family Latidae These fish include fresh water species, saltwater species, and some that live in both salt and fresh water. They are Indo-West Pacific fish.
Barramundi[Giant Perch, Asian seabass, White seabass; Bekti (India); Bhetki (Bengali); Pla kapong (Thai); Siakap (Malay); Lates calcarifer | very similar, Japanese Barramundi; Akame (Japan); Lates japonicus]
This Indo-Pacific fish is very important in Southeast Asia and northern
Australia, and also much appreciated in West Bengal and Bangladesh.
Both wild and farmed, it is a sought after fish that fetches
a premium price. It can grow to 78 inches and 132 pounds, but the
photo specimen was 17 inches long, weighed 2 pounds 14 ounces. It
probably came from from a fish farm in Thailand, but a growing number
are farmed in North America. They are also farmed in Indonesia,
Malaysia and Australia, with smaller operations in the UK and Holland.
Details and Cooking.
Nile Perch[African snook, Victoria Perch; Mbuta, Mputa (Luo); Sangara, Sankara, Chenku (Tanzania); Capitaine (French Africa); Am'kal (Egypt, Sudan); Giwan Ruwa (Hausa (water elephant)); Lates niloticus]
This very large perch is native to the large rivers of East Africa,
Central Africa and Ghana in West Africa. It has been introduced to
Lake Victoria with considerable disruption of the lake ecology. It
can grow to 6 feet 6 inches and weigh 440 pounds. Nile Perch is a very
important food fish in the parts of Africa where it is found, and is
also exported to Europe. IUCN Red List LC (Least Concern) - considered
a serious invasive in some regions.
Details and Cooking.
Photo by Daiju Azuma distributed under license
Creative Commons
Attribution-ShareAlike v4.0 International.
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