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Perch

Perch ©Jack Perks

Perch

With tiger-like stripes, red fins and a humped back, the perch is a striking fish. It can be seen in lowland waterbodies and waterways across the UK, often in shoals.

Scientific name

Perca fluviatilis

When to see

January to December

Species information

Statistics

Length: up to 25cm
Weight: up to 2.8kg
Average Lifespan: 10-12 years
Common.

About

The perch is a medium-sized fish with a characteristic humped shape. A predator, the perch feeds on invertebrates, crayfish and other fish. It lives in large ponds, lakes, reservoirs, canals and lowland rivers, and is often seen in shoals. Spawning takes place in April; the females produce sticky bands of eggs which they wrap around vegetation and rocks, ready for the male to fertilise them. After about three weeks, the young hatch and feed on the yolk sac until it is finished.

How to identify

The perch is a greenish fish with dark, tiger stripes, a large, spiny dorsal fin, red pectoral and anal fins, and a red tail.

Distribution

Found throughout the country, but rarer in northern Scotland.

Did you know?

Female perch may lay up to 300,000 eggs.