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Golden Perch There are three distinct strains of Golden Perch, The Murray/Darling
River system, the Lake Eyre Drainage System, and the Fitzroy/Dawson
River System. The largest is the Murray Darling System which extends
over four states. Starting in Queensland and moving through New
South Wales and Victoria and finally reaching the sea in South Australia.
The Lake Eyre System also drains from Queensland to South Australia
where it empties into Lake Eyre and finally just dries up! Commercial Golden Perch FishingThe first commercial supplies of golden perch fingerlings were supplied to grow-out farms in Australia during the 2003-4 seasons. They were from the Lake Eyre strain. These fish have shown excellent growth. One grower reports that they grow much faster than silver perch. This grower is using large round Polly tanks. In his words the fish are described as "the barramundi of the inland".Golden Perch Growth and SizesAfter 40 days the fish had grown from about 1gm to an average size of 25gm. The fish were graded into three average sizes, 50gm, 24gm and 12gm. One fish was 112gms.After 75 days they are estimated to be an average of 40-50 gm. This is an estimate as the water temperature was 14-15C, and handling was considered an unnecessary risk at this relative low temperature. This grower says they eat actively at 15C, and at 12C still feed but not so eagerly. This is in contrast to Silver Perch which cannot be seen feeding at 14C on the same farm. After 100 days the average of the larger fish was 108gms. The largest fish was now just over 200gms. The average of the fish in the medium size range, (which is now two thirds of the population) is 80gms. The grower reports that they have gone from 20gms to 80gms in only two months! The FCR, (food conversion rate) over the range of sizes is between .8 and 1.7 to 1 This is using dry food. How to handle a Golden PerchThey are a little more difficult to handle. The fish have smaller scales and are softer to the touch. When handled for grading or other management tasks, extra care should be taken not to cause any physical damage to the fish as they may become infected. Using graders with metal bars seem to be damaging to these fish. Some improvement has been achieved by increasing the oxygen before handling.Below is a link to a page which details weaning methods. It should be noted that the variety of golden perch used for the weaning trials were not from the Lake Eyre River System. The Lake Eyre variety of fingerlings was not available for these trials. The Lake Eyre variety is from the same river system as the Jade Perch. Jade Perch are extraordinary performers in aquaculture. It is believed that the golden perch from this river system will also be better in aquaculture that other strains. The weaning of this season's fingerlings proved to be much easier than other strains. Golden Perch HistoryGolden perch is a native Australian fish. It is marketed as callop or yellow fin perch. The market was supplied by wild caught fish, however almost all these licenses and permits to harvest these fish from the wild have been discontinued. When the fish were available from wild harvest, Gilled and gutted fish 500g to 1 kg, (up to 4 kg) sold for AUD9-16 per kg at Sydney fish markets. Quantities sold annually varied greatly. Sydney fish market figures were 200 tones cleared on the auction floor in 1993, and 4 tones in the first half of 1996. Market analysts believe that the total quantity sold in Sydney and Melbourne were at least four times that sold on the Sydney fish market. This indicates that the domestic market can accept large quantities (i.e. 800 tones) of the product.The Golden Perch is
an Australian Native fish... It is found in the South Eastern
parts of Australia. The scientific name is Macquaria Ambigua. And
otherwise it is known as The Yellowbelly fish, Callop fish and the
Murray Perch. The Perch has a kind-of plump look, with a greenery
yellowy tingle to its colure. Fact File of the Golden Perch:Scientific name: Macquaria AmbiguaHeight: Generally the Golden Perch is 30 - 40 cm but can grow to 75 cm or bigger Weight: Normally the Golden Perch is about 3 or 4 kg. but they can weigh up to 23kg Breeding: The female Golden Perch glides over water plants with all her fins lowered, dropping eggs on the plants that are being fertilized by a male. Diet: They eat Yabbies, shrimps, insects, small fish and some Birds. The Golden Perch is found in fresh waters and caught in Queensland. The Breeding the Golden PerchThe spawning takes place in between April and May. (it depends on the size and metrety.)For laying the eggs the female Golden Perch glides over the top of the water plants with all her fins lowered, shedding the eggs which are being fertilized by one or 2 males. A large Female can lay up to 500,00 eggs in one batch. A small
female can lay up to 200,000 eggs. The transparent larvae are 1 in 5 in lengths. After the hatching
has happened the larvae spirals to the waters surface to fill his/she's
air-bladder. They only do so after lying around the water plants
for a while. But the longest recorded was the age of 10 and a half years of age. Habitat of the Golden PerchGolden perch occupy the inland rivers, streams, lagoons, lakes and dams of eastern Australia with a preference for water that is turbid and warm. Successful stocking programs have led to self contained populations in alpine and coastal impoundments and rivers from southern Qld. to S.A.Golden Perch HintsThe Golden Perch bite the best at dawn and dusk. A water level rise due to rain or when the water has cleared after the rise tends to get the fish on the bite. Live baits tend to work better. Bobbing or jigging bait from a boat anchored beside a dead tree can be very productive. Trolled lures should be allowed to dive to depths of 3 - 5m. For impoundments casting or trolling lures around drowned timber is best and for muddy rivers bait fishing methods are best.Spawning is influenced by rising water temperatures and after heavy rains in late spring and early summer where the fish move upstream. |
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