Don't let the name fool you--the white perch is not a member of the
perch family. Actually, it's in the same family as the white bass (the temperate basses).
These two fish can be very hard to tell apart.
While the white bass is native to the Great Lakes, the white perch is an
invader that may reduce populations of native fish such as walleye and white bass.
Additionally, white bass can interbreed with white perch, which could dilute the gene
pools of both species. (See the white perch
profile for more information.)
White bass
There are several ways to tell the fish apart.
- First, the white bass has 6-10 dark horizontal lines on its back and sides; the white
perch does not.
- Second, gently pull the spiny dorsal erect. If the soft dorsal fin also becomes erect,
you've got a white perch. If not, it's a white bass.
For more information and other ways to tell a white bass from a white perch, see "Is It a
White Bass or a White Perch" by Ohio Sea Grant.
To confuse the issue further, the freshwater
drum (or sheepshead) is sometimes (incorrectly) called a white perch. The freshwater
drum can be distinguished by a lateral line that extends all the way to the end of its
bluntly pointed caudal (tail) fin.
Sources: "Is It a White Bass or a White Perch," written by
Fred L. Snyder, Ohio Sea Grant, 1999.
Fishes of Wisconsin, George C. Becker, University of Wisconsin
Press, 1983.
