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perch

perch, common name for some members of the family Percidae, symmetrical freshwater fishes of N Europe, Asia, and North America. The perch belongs to the large order Perciformes (spiny-finned fishes) and is related to the sunfishes and the sea basses. Best known is the yellow (also called red) perch (Perca flavescens), a popular game and food fish abundant in lakes and large streams, where it feeds on insects, crayfish, and small fish and grows to an average length of 1 ft (30 cm) and weight of 1 lb (.5 kg). The voracious walleye, or walleyed pike (Stizostedion vitreum), another member of the family, is darker and larger (up to 10 lb/4.5 kg). Very similar to the walleye but slenderer and smaller is the Eastern sauger, or sand pike (S. canadense). The native American darters (2-3 in/5-8 cm), found E of the Rockies, are a subfamily containing many species, most of them brilliantly colored. Of separate families are the pirate perch, a chubby little fish of sluggish streams and bayous (family Aphredoderidae), and the trout perch, or sand roller, a small fish abundant in the Great Lakes (family Mugiloididae). Perches are classified in the phylum Chordata, subphylum Vertebrata, class Osteichthyes, order Perciformes, family Percidae.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia Copyright © 2004.
Licensed from Columbia University Press

ocean perch

ocean perch: see rockfish.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia Copyright © 2004.
Licensed from Columbia University Press

climbing perch

climbing perch or walking fish, member of the labyrinth fish family, adapted to living in oxygen-depleted water or on dry land. It is not related to the true perch. Labyrinth fishes are spiny-finned fishes of Africa and SE Asia, which have a labyrinthine chamber over the gills that enables them to absorb and retain atmospheric oxygen. Members of some species can remain out of water for several days and will even suffocate (drown) if held underwater. The climbing perch, Anabas testudineus, of SE Asia, is brown and reaches a length of 10 in. (25 cm). Climbing perches travel in search of water when their ponds dry up; they walk with jerky movements, supported by the spiny edges of the gill plates and propelled by the fins and tail. They are said to climb low trees. The family also includes the paradise fishes, the betta, and the gourami; all are popular aquarium fishes. The land-walking mudskipper is of a different family. Climbing perches are classified in the phylum Chordata, subphylum Vertebrata, class Osteichthyes, order Perciformes, family Anabantidae.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia Copyright © 2004.
Licensed from Columbia University Press

perch

Either of two species (family Percidae, order Perciformes) of popular food and sport fishes: the Eurasian common perch (Perca fluviatilis) or the North American yellow perch (P. flavescens). Some consider the two a single species. Both have one spiny and one soft-rayed dorsal fin. Perches are carnivores of quiet ponds, lakes, streams, and rivers. The common perch is greenish, with dark vertical bars on the sides and reddish in the lower fins. It grows to 6 lbs (3 kg), rarely more. The yellow perch, similar but yellower, grows to about 15 in. (40 cm) and weighs up to 2 lbs (1 kg); it is a popular game fish. Seealso sauger, sea bass, walleye.

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.

redfish

or rosefish or ocean perch

Commercially important food fish (Sebastes marinus) of the scorpion fish family (Scorpaenidae), found in the Atlantic along European and North American coasts. It has a large mouth, large eyes, and spines on its head and cheeks. It grows to about 40 in. (1 m) long. Related species include S. owstoni, a food fish of the Orient, and the Norway haddock (S. viviparus) of Europe. Both are red and grow to about 10 in. (25 cm) long.

Learn more about redfish with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.