Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program: West Virginia
Education, Research and Technical Assistance for Managing Our Natural Resources

Yellow Perch provide important recreational fisheries, but few fishery management studies have examined this species on the edge of its geographic range. Before the study, little was known about the Yellow Perch population in Cheat Lake, a hydropower reservoir in northern, WV, including no population characteristic information such as age structure, size structure, condition, total instantaneous mortality, growth and diet. This study documented population characteristics of a Yellow Perch fishery in northern WV, including information on age structure, size structure, condition, total instantaneous mortality, growth and diet. This information was needed by West Virginia Division of Natural Resources for developing and implementing management strategies for the fishery. The project was a collaborative effort, including West Virginia Division of Natural Resources (the agency responsible for Yellow Perch management in the reservoir) and First Energy Corporation (the owner of the hydropower reservoir during the research project). Information from this study on age structure, size structure, condition, total instantaneous mortality, growth, and diet of Yellow Perch in Cheat Lake are currently being used by West Virginia Division of Natural Resources toward developing management decisions on new length and creel limit regulations for this fishery.