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Article: PERCH NUMBERS IN STEEP DECLINE A REPORT SAYS THE NUMBER OF YELLOW PERCH IN LAKE MICHIGAN HAS DROPPED FROM 25 MILLION TO 1 MILLION.(SPORTS)
- Article from:
- The Wisconsin State Journal (Madison, WI)
- Article date:
- June 2, 2002
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2002 Capital Newspapers. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Byline: Paul A. Smith Racine Journal Times
RACINE -- Decimated by a decade-long decline that has yet to be explained, the Lake Michigan yellow perch population hinges on the reproductive success of a single year class of fish, reducing chances of a recovery and leading to increased frustration on the part of anglers, fisheries managers and biologists.
According to data released by the Department of Natural Resources from its annual Graded Mesh Assessment, the 1998 year class of perch dominates the fishery but is weak in comparison to years of high perch abundance.
"There's only a fraction of the fish out there today than what we saw 10 years ...