Growth, diet, and reproduction of Eurasian perch Perca fluviatilis L. in Lake Varese, northwestern Italy

No data have previously been reported on Eurasian perch Perca fluviatilis L. in Lake Varese. In this study, the growth, diet, and reproductive biology of the Eurasian perch population were investigated with the aim of providing information that may serve as a basis for efficient resource management. A total of 240 specimens were caught during the monthly sampling campaign from November 2006 through October 2008. The length-to-weight relationships were W (t) = 8.4 x 10(-3) L (t) (3.10) (males) and W (t) = 4.1 x 10(-3) L (t) (3.36) (females). The parameters for the von Bertalanffy growth function for pooled sexes were L (a) = 33.17 cm, k = 0.20 year(-1), and t (0) = -1.34 year. Perch in Lake Varese spawn from April through May. Sexual maturity is reached when males are 2 years old, in females mostly when they are 3 years old. Relative fecundity (F (rel)) and absolute fecundity (F (abs)) were assessed for females. Fecundity values were similar to data reported for other European populations: females of age 2+ F (rel) = 102,457 +/- A 12,275, age 3+ F (rel) = 131,767 +/- A 5,891, and age 4+ F (rel) = 131,252 +/- A 15,555. Perch diet spectrum was wide and somewhat characterized by season. Perch in Lake Varese feed on macroinvertebrates, mainly Chironomidae and Chaoborus, zooplankton, and juvenile rudd Scardinius erythrophthalmus.