The estuary perch (''Macquaria colonorum'') is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of ...

temperate perch The members of the family Percichthyidae are known as the temperate perches. They belong to the order Perciformes, the perch-like fishes. The name Percichthyidae derives from the Latin ''perca'' for perch and Ancient Greek ἰχθύς, ''ichthy ...

endemic to south-eastern Australia, where it prefers

brackish Brackish water, sometimes termed brack water, is water occurring in a natural environment that has more salinity than freshwater, but not as much as seawater. It may result from mixing seawater (salt water) and fresh water together, as in estuar ...

waters such as lower tidal reaches of coastal lakes, rivers, and streams.

Appearance

It is very similar to and very closely related to its sister species, the

Australian bass The Australian bass (''Macquaria novemaculeata'') is a small- to medium-sized species of primarily freshwater (but estuarine spawning) fish found in coastal rivers and streams along the east coast of Australia. A member of the genus ''Macqua ...

, ''Macquaria novemaculeata'', differing in having a slightly more "scooped" forehead and reaching a larger length of . Most individuals only reach around . The greatest recorded weight for a specimen of this species is , there is very little evidence for this, most people assume it was a typo i.e. it was 10 lb and not 10 kg.

Reproduction

Estuary perch breed in winter at the same time as Australian bass, and are similarly sexually dimorphic, with females larger than males. Females reach sexual maturity at older ages and larger sizes than males. In

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seyche ...

, estuary perch/Australian bass hybrids are regularly recorded; most hybrids appear to be reproductively viable. Spawning occurs at the mouths of estuaries, rivers, and streams during winter and spring when water temperatures are 14-19 °C. In New South Wales, this occurs from July to August, while in the western regions of Victorian waters this happens from November to December.Native Fish Australia
Estuary Perch
www.nativefish.asn.au Eggs are semibuoyant, nonadhesive, and in diameter. They hatch into larvae after 2–3 days.

Age

Estuary perch, as also many other native fish of southeast Australia, are very long-lived. Longevity is a survival strategy to ensure that most adults participate in at least one exceptional spawning and recruitment event, which are often linked to unusually wet La Niña years and may only occur every one or two decades. Maximum recorded age is 41 years.

Fishing

The estuary perch is a popular

angling Angling is a fishing technique that uses a fish hook or "angle" (from Old English ''angol'') attached to a fishing line to tether individual fish in the mouth. The fishing line is usually manipulated via a fishing rod, although rodless techni ...

game fish in the states of Victoria (particularly) and New South Wales. The fish was once caught commercially with

seine net Seine fishing (or seine-haul fishing; ) is a method of fishing that employs a surrounding net, called a seine, that hangs vertically in the water with its bottom edge held down by weights and its top edge buoyed by floats. Seine nets can be de ...

s during their winter spawning migrations. However, recently declining numbers mean the species is now protected from

commercial fishing Commercial fishing is the activity of catching fish and other seafood for commercial profit, mostly from wild fisheries. It provides a large quantity of food to many countries around the world, but those who practice it as an industry must often p ...

and bag limits occasionally apply on

recreational fishing Recreational fishing, also called sport fishing or game fishing, is fishing for leisure, exercise or competition. It can be contrasted with commercial fishing, which is professional fishing for profit (economics), profit; or subsistence fishing, ...

References

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q5237190 estuary perch Freshwater fish of Australia estuary perch estuary perch Taxobox binomials not recognized by IUCN