Nature table: Perch

The European perch is a freshwater fish that is widespread in Irish lakes, ponds, canals, and rivers, though it tends to be absent at high altitudes and in very fast-flowing rivers.

Many sources describe it as a species that was introduced at some time after the 12th century, but there’s no evidence for this and genetic studies may prove it to be native.

It’s a predator, with larger specimens eating small fish, including other perch, and smaller ones aquatic invertebrates.

The body colour is generally olive green, paler below, with red fins and vertical black stripes, making it very distinctive.

There are several sharp spines on the body so they must be handled carefully. They tend to live in shoals containing fish of the same age and size, though they never grow particularly large — no perch of over 2kg in weight has been authenticated from Irish waters.

They are a popular angling quarry and are farmed, on a small scale, in this country for export to continental Europe for food.