Morone Americana - White Perch

The white perch (Morone americana) is not a true perch but is a fish of the temperate bass family, Moronidae, notable as a food and game fish in eastern North America. In some places it is referred to as "Silver Bass".^{[citation needed]}

White perch
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Moroniformes
Family:	Moronidae
Genus:	Morone
Species:	M. americana
Binomial name
Morone americana (J. F. Gmelin, 1789)
Synonyms[2]
Perca americana J. F. Gmelin, 1789 Roccus americanus (J. F. Gmelin, 1789) Perca immaculata Walbaum, 1792 Morone rufa Mitchill, 1814 Morone pallida Mitchill, 1814

The common name "white perch" is sometimes applied to the white crappie (Pomoxis annularis).^[3]

Generally silvery-white in color, hence the name, depending upon habitat and size specimens have begun to develop a darker shade near the dorsal fin and along the top of the fish. This sometimes earns them the nickname "black-back". White perch have been reported up to 49.5 cm (19.5 in) in length and weighing 2.2 kg (4.9 lb).^{[citation needed]}

Although favoring brackish waters, it is also found in fresh water and coastal areas from the St. Lawrence River and Lake Ontario south to the Pee Dee River in South Carolina, and as far east as Nova Scotia. They are also found in the lower Great Lakes, Finger Lakes, Long Island Sound and nearby coastal areas, Hudson and Mohawk River system, Delaware Bay and Chesapeake Bay. It is also found occasionally in small land-locked lakes and ponds. The raw meat is of a somewhat pinkish hue, but when cooked, it is white and flaky. At times, a parasite known as Lironeca ovalis is located in the gills. Its presence is believed to reduce the growth rate of white perch.^[4]