Editing Yellow perch (section)

==Biology==
[[File:Perca flavescens head-000158684.stl|thumb|3-D model of a ''Perca flavescens'' head]]
Yellow perch typically reach [[sexual maturity]] in two to three years for males and three to four years for females. They are [[iteroparity|iteroparous]], spawning annually in the spring when water temperatures are between {{cvt|2.0|and|18.6|°C}}. Spawning is communal and typically occurs at night. Yellow perch are [[oviparity|oviparous]], as eggs are fertilized externally. Eggs are laid in a gelatinous strand (commonly 10,000–40,000), a characteristic unique among North American freshwater fishes. Egg strands are commonly draped over weeds, the branches of submerged trees or shrubs, or some other structure. Eggs hatch in 11–27 days, depending on temperature and other [[abiotic]] factors.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Effects of predation and environment on quality of yellow perch and bluegill populations in Nebraska sandhill lakes|journal=North American Journal of Fisheries Management|volume=22|issue=1|pages=86–95|doi=10.1577/1548-8675(2002)022<0086:eopaeo>2.0.co;2|year=2002|last1=Paukert|first1=Craig P.|last2=Willis|first2=David W.|last3=Klammer|first3=Joel A.|s2cid=14232024 |url=http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1051&context=nebgamestaff|url-access=subscription}}</ref> They are commonly found in the littoral zones of both large and small lakes, but they also inhabit slow-moving rivers and streams, brackish waters, and ponds. Yellow perch commonly reside in shallow water, but are occasionally found deeper than {{cvt|15|m|abbr=on}} or on the bottom.<ref name="ref1"/>

In the northern waters, perch tend to live longer and grow at a slower rate. Females in general are larger, grow faster, live longer, and mature in 3–4 years compared to males, which mature in 2–3 years at a smaller size. Most research has showed the maximum age to be about 9–10 years, with a few living past 11 years. The preferred temperature range for the yellow perch is {{cvt|17|to|25|°C|0}}, with an optimum range of {{cvt|21|to|24|°C}} and a lethal limit in upwards of {{cvt|33|°C}} and a stress limit over {{cvt|26|°C}}. Yellow perch spawn once a year in spring using large schools and shallow areas of a lake or low-current tributary streams. They do not build a [[redd (biology)|redd]] or nest. Spawning typically takes place at night or in the early morning. Females have the potential to spawn up to eight times in their lifetimes.<ref name="ref1"/>

A small aquaculture industry in the US Midwest contributes about {{cvt|90800|kg|abbr=on}} of yellow perch annually, but the aquaculture is not expanding rapidly.<ref name="ref1"/>
The yellow perch is absolutely crucial to the survival of the [[walleye]] and [[largemouth bass]] in its range.<ref name="ref1"/> [[Double-crested cormorant|Cormorants]] feed heavily on yellow perch in early spring, but over the entire season, only 10% of their diet is perch.<ref name="ref4">{{cite report|last1=Belyea|first1=G. Y.|last2=Maruca|first2=S. L.|last3=Diana|first3=J. S.|last4=Schneeberger|first4=P. J.|last5=Scott|first5=S. J.|last6=Clark|first6=R. D. Jr.|last7=Ludwig|first7=J. P.|last8=Summer|first8=C. L.|date=1999|title=Impact of [[double-crested cormorant]] predation on the yellow perch population in the Les Cheneaux Islands of Michigan|publisher=US Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service|pages=47–60}}</ref>

According to VanDeValk et al. (2002), "Cormorant consumption of adult yellow perch was similar to angler harvest, but cormorants consumed almost 10 times more age‐2 yellow perch and only cormorants harvested age‐1 yellow perch. Cormorants and anglers combined harvested 40% of age‐1 and age‐2 yellow perch and 25% of the adult yellow perch population. Total annual mortality of adult percids has not changed since cormorant colonization. Although cormorant consumption of adult percids has little effect on harvest by anglers, consumption of subadults will reduce future angler harvest of yellow perch and, to a lesser extent, walleyes."<ref name="ref5">{{cite journal|last1=VanDeValk|first1=A. J.|first2=C. M.|last2=Adams|last3=Rudstam|first3=L. G.|last4=Forney|first4=J. L.|last5=Brooking|first5=T. E.|last6=Gerken|first6=M. A.|last7=Young|first7=B. P.|last8=Hooper|first8=J. T.|date=2002|title=Comparison of angler and cormorant harvest of walleye and yellow perch in Oneida Lake, New York|journal=Transactions of the American Fisheries Society|volume=131|issue=1|pages=27–39|doi=10.1577/1548-8659(2002)131<0027:coaach>2.0.co;2}}</ref>