:: COARSE FISH ::
Coarse
fish are European non-salmonid sports fish such as rudd and
perch. They are generally not recognised in New Zealand as quality
sporting fish but are valued by European anglers. The coarse
species are not as prolific as the salmonids but are nonetheless
reasonably widespread.
The rudd displayed at Southern Encounter Aquarium were kindly
supplied by the Canterbury Coarse Fishing Club, with the approval
of North Canterbury Fish & Game and the Department of Conservation.
PERCH
(Perca fluviatilis)
Freshwater
perch are silvery-grey in colour with six or more vertical dark
bands on their sides and bright red-orange on some fins. They
commonly reach 40-45cm and 1-2kg and are a good sporting fish
with fine quality white flesh. They are native to cool waters
throughout Europe and were introduced successfully into New
Zealand in 1868.
| Today
they are found throughout New Zealand in lakes, lagoons,
ponds and sluggish rivers, with the largest populations
being in Canterbury and Otago. Perch are highly piscivorous,
i.e. a significant proportion of their diet is made up of
other fish, especially when they grow larger. |
 |
They spend their entire lives in fresh water, and move around
in schools composed of both sexes. Often females will live longer
than the males, with the males usually maturing earlier. Spawning
occurs in the spring, when the adults move into shallow water.
Did
you know?
When a female perch is ready to spawn a temporary pore develops
in her body wall through which the eggs are discharged. The
eggs are small and are laid in a continuous, spiral-like ribbon,
which may be more than two metres long. No other fish eat the
eggs and it is thought that they might be toxic!
