The Food and Feeding Chronology of Yellow Perch (Perca flavescens) in Lake Washington

The food habits of yellow perch (Perca flavescens) in Lake Washington, Seattle, U.S.A. were studied over a period of nine months. Altogether 549 yellow perch were examined for the stomach contents. The daily activity pattern of the yellow perch in Lake Washington appears to correspond roughly with the feeding pattern. The maximum numbers of perch caught by the nets during 24 hour study periods correspond well with degree of fullness of stomachs noted for the different times of the day. The food consisted mainly of cottids, mysid shrimps (Acanthomysis awatchensis) and chironomid pupae and larvae. There was no difference in the food consumed between the different sexes and between the different size groups. Maximum feeding by perch during the day was observed just before dark and the daily ration was calculated to be about 1.4% of their wet body weight.