Diel Movement Patterns of Yellow Perch in a Simple and a Complex Lake Basin

Abstract

To investigate the influence habitat may have on fish movement, we tagged two length-groups of adult yellow perch Perca flavescens with ultrasonic transmitters to determine diel movement patterns in two glacial lakes with differing basin morphometries and habitat characteristics. In both lakes, movement rates increased from dawn to the diurnal period, and decreased from dusk to the nocturnal period, with lowest activity in the nocturnal period. Overall, mean period movement rates for yellow perch were higher in the simple lake than in the complex lake. Offshore movement from the nocturnal to the dawn period and onshore movement from the diurnal to the nocturnal period was evident in both length-groups in the complex lake, but not evident in the simple lake. Size segregation was apparent in the complex lake, where the small lengthgroup was located farther from shore than the large length-group. Yellow perch in the simple lake most often used the deepest depths, whereas yellow perch in the complex lake used moderate depths. These results suggest that habitat characteristics and the complexity of a lake basin may have an influence on behavior and habitat use. With this insight into the movement patterns of yellow perch in two distinct types of lake basins, managers may consider refining sampling plans for individual lake types.

Space use of juvenile and subadult yellow perch (Perca flavescens) in the Detroit River using acoustic telemetry: incorporating variable detection ranges in vegetated areas

“…Based on the diel presence patterns in this study and others (e.g., Bauer et al 2009) SAV in nearshore areas appeared to be used for resting at night (i.e., fewer detections because fish were less likely to be moving and pass within range of a receiver) and actively foraging during the day. The highest presence of yellow perch during crepuscular periods is also D r a f t hypothesized to be associated with increased foraging because yellow perch are most active during dawn and dusk periods (Reynolds and Casterlin 1979) with stomach fullness peaking at dusk (Jansen and Mackay 1992).…”

Estimating Walleye and Saugeye Gill‐Net Encounter Probability in a Reservoir with Simple Morphometry

“…For example, Harrison et al (2015) identified different behavioral types in Burbot, including individuals with small home ranges and minimal movement and individuals with large home ranges and high movement rates, and this difference in behavior was not explained by fish length. Similarly, in a simple lake, Bauer et al (2009) found no difference in movement rate between small (210–235‐mm) and large (250–280‐mm) Yellow Perch. Additionally, the relationship between movement rate and fish size may vary across species.…”

“…As a passive gear, fish must encounter the gill net to be captured (Hubert 1996), meaning that (1) gill nets must overlap the habitat used by the target species and (2) fish must actively move to encounter the net. Habitat use and movement of a single species vary across systems due to factors such as differences in lake morphometry (Bauer et al 2009), but even within a system, habitat use and movement vary over the short (diel) and long (monthly) term (Pope and Willis 1996; Watson et al 2019). As a result, the likelihood that a fish encounters a gill net likely changes through time (Linløkken and Haugen 2006).…”

Understanding factors regulating Muskellunge and Walleye reservoir populations using radio telemetry

“…As Big Creek has less available complex habitat, predator-prey interactions may be widely distributed throughout the reservoir (Sass et al 2006), helping to explain the greater movement rates during spring and fall. Other studies have found increased movement rates of Walleye Sander vitreus (Blackwell 2001; Chapter 4) and Yellow Perch (Bauer et al 2009) in simple versus complex systems. Kobler et al (2009) observed greater activity in Northern Pike…”

“…Walleye are less active in clearer lakes during the day and Big Creek is a relatively turbid reservoir (3 trees/100 m 2 ) relative to Brushy Creek (14 trees/100 m 2 ) as well as fewer species and less dense aquatic vegetation. Similarly, Walleye and Yellow Perch Perca flavescens had higher movement rates in a simple versus a complex lake, potentially because less movement is required to find food in more complex systems (Blackwell 2001;Bauer et al 2009). Likewise, juvenile Largemouth Bass chase prey more frequently in systems with low abundance of CWH, resulting in greater movement rates and larger home range size .…”