Home/Species/ Trout-perch

Percopsis omiscomaycus

(Walbaum, 1792)

Trout-perch

G5Secure Found in 1 roadless area NatureServe Explorer →

G5SecureGlobal Rank

Least concernIUCN

Identity

Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.104223

Element CodeAFCLC01010

Record TypeSPECIES

ClassificationSpecies

Classification StatusStandard

Name CategoryVertebrate Animal

IUCNLeast concern

Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations

KingdomAnimalia

PhylumCraniata

ClassActinopterygii

OrderPercopsiformes

FamilyPercopsidae

GenusPercopsis

Other Common Names

Omisco (FR)

Concept Reference

Robins, C.R., R.M. Bailey, C.E. Bond, J.R. Brooker, E.A. Lachner, R.N. Lea, and W.B. Scott. 1991. Common and scientific names of fishes from the United States and Canada. American Fisheries Society, Special Publication 20. 183 pp.

Taxonomic Comments

The family Percopsidae, found only in North America, contains two species: the trout-perch (Percopsis omiscomaycus) and the sand roller (P. transmontana).

Conservation Status

Rank MethodExpertise without calculation

Review Date2015-08-17

Change Date1996-09-20

Edition Date2008-01-08

Edition AuthorsJansen, A., T. A. Gotthardt, and G. Hammerson

Range Extent>2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles)

Number of Occurrences> 300

Rank Reasons

Secure - widespread and abundant.

Range Extent Comments

Atlantic and Arctic basins throughout most of Canada from Quebec to Yukon and British Columbia and south to the Potomac River drainage, Virginia; Yukon River drainage, Yukon and Alaska; Great Lakes and Mississippi River basins south to West Virginia, eastern Kentucky, southern Illinois, central Missouri, North Dakota, and northern Montana; locally common in lakes, uncommon throughout most of range (Page and Burr 1991).

Occurrences Comments

This species is represented by a large number of occurrences (subpopulations).

Threat Impact Comments

On a range-wide scale no major threats are known. In the southern part of the range, degradation of lakes and streams has negatively affected distribution and abundance.

Trout-perch are especially sensitive to aquatic pollution and sedimentation associated with row crop agriculture and channelization (Pflieger 1997). Fish exposed to pulp mill effluent on the Kapuskasing River, Ontario, showed a change in age structure that was likely driven by an increase in mortality (Gibbons et al. 1998). This species may also be temperature sensitive; summer die-offs in Minnesota lakes have been attributed to higher than average temperatures (Eddy and Underhill 1974). A marked decline in the Red Deer River, Alberta trout-perch population was attributed to the impacts of a dam built there (Nelson, pers. comm., in Bramblett 2005).

Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Typically in lakes but also in deep flowing pools of creeks and small to large rivers; usually over sand (Page and Burr 1991). Normally in deep waters by day, moves into shallows at night (Becker 1983). Spawns in shallow rocky or gravelly streams or over sand or gravel bars or among rocks in lakes. Often spawns in streams in spring and returns to lake after spawning.

Reproduction

Usually spawns in spring, but spawning may extend into late summer in some lakes. Most spawners are age I or II (Becker 1983, Scott and Crossman 1973).

Other Nations (2)

CanadaN5

Province	Rank	Native
Northwest Territories	S4	Yes
Nunavut	SU	Yes
Ontario	S5	Yes
Quebec	S5	Yes
Yukon Territory	SU	Yes
Saskatchewan	S5	Yes
British Columbia	S4	Yes
Alberta	S4	Yes
Manitoba	S5	Yes

United StatesN5

Province	Rank	Native
Washington	SNR	Yes
Wisconsin	S5	Yes
Ohio	S4	Yes
Massachusetts	SX	Yes
District of Columbia	SH	Yes
Utah	SNA	No
Minnesota	SNR	Yes
Maryland	SX	Yes
New Jersey	SX	Yes
Michigan	S4	Yes
New York	S3	Yes
Pennsylvania	S5	Yes
Connecticut	SX	Yes
Iowa	S3	Yes
Kentucky	S3	Yes
Indiana	S2	Yes
West Virginia	S3	Yes
Virginia	SX	Yes
Alaska	S3	Yes
North Dakota	SNR	Yes
Missouri	S1	Yes
Montana	SU	Yes
South Dakota	S2	Yes
Illinois	S1	Yes
Vermont	S3	Yes

Roadless Areas (1)

Minnesota (1)

Area	Forest	Acres
Kawishiwi Lake To Sawbill	Superior National Forest	15,305

References (35)

Becker, G. C. 1983. Fishes of Wisconsin. University of Wisconsin Press, Madison. 1,052 pp.
Bramblett, R.G. 2005. Trout-perch. Montana's fish species of special concern. American Fisheries Montana Chapter. Available online at: http://www.fisheries.org/AFSmontana/SSCpages/Trout-perch.htm. Accessed 9/23/05.
Burr, B. M., and M. L. Warren, Jr. 1986a. Distributional atlas of Kentucky fishes. Kentucky Nature Preserves Commission, Scientific and Technical Series No. 4, Frankfort, Kentucky. 398 pp.
Cooper, E. L. 1983. Fishes of Pennsylvania and the northeastern United States. Pennsylvania State University Press, University Park. 243 pp.
Cox, Kenneth M. (District Fisheries Biologist, VT Department of Fish and Wildlife). 2000. Review and annotation of fish watershed distribution maps. Review requested by Anthony E. Zammit, ABI. March 2000.
Eddy, S. and J. C. Underhill. 1974. Northern fishes, with special reference to the Upper Mississippi Valley, 3rd edition. University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis, Minnesota. 414 pp
Fago, D. 2000. Relative abundance and distribution of fishes in Wisconsin. Fish Distribution Database to year 2000. Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
Gibbons, W. N., K. R. Munkittrick, M. E. McMaster, and W. D .Taylor.1998. Monitoring aquatic environments receiving industrial effluents using small fish species 2: comparison between responses of trout-perch (Percopsis omiscomaycus) and white sucker (Catostomus commersoni) downstream of a pulp mill. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 17: 2238-2245.
Harlan, J. R., E. B. Speaker, and J. Mayhew. 1987. Iowa fish and fishing. Iowa Conservation Commission, Des Moines, Iowa. 323 pp.
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House, R. and L. Wells. 1973. Age, growth, spawning season and fecundity of the trout-perch, Percopsis omiscomaycus, in southeastern Lake Michigan. Journal of the Fisheries Research Board of Canada 30(8):1221-1225.
Hrabik, Robert A. (Missouri Department of Conservation). 1997. Review and annotation of fish watershed distribution maps. Review requested by Ruth Mathews, TNC. May 1997.
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