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Silver Perch Index of Abundance

Silver perch
Silver Perch Silver Perch are year-round residents of Chesapeake Bay, but are most abundant in September and October. Their maximum adult size is 30 centimeters (1 foot).
Silver perch
Silver Perch Mouth Silver Perch have small, conical teeth and typically prey on polychaete worms, fishes and small crustaceans.
Silver perch
Juvenile Silver Perch Silver Perch spawn from April through June along the bay side and sea side of the Eastern Shore. Juveniles frequently inhabit shallow seagrass beds.

Silver Perch young-of-year index of abundance figure. The graph shows Silver Perch young-of-year annual indices of abundance from all sampling stations from 1988 to 2023.

About the data

This species first recruits to the survey gear in July. All sampling stations are used to calculate the index of abundance.

The young-of-year cutoff values are as follows (index months are listed in bold):
  • July: 0-100 mm.
  • August: 0-130 mm.
  • September: 0-150 mm.
  • October: 0-160 mm.
  • November: 0-160 mm.
  • December: 0-160 mm.
  • January: 0-160 mm.
  • February: 0-160 mm.
  • March: 0-160 mm.
  • April: 0-160 mm.
  • May: 0-165 mm.
  • June: 0-170 mm.

Data collected after the transition to a new vessel and net in June 2015 have been adjusted by a species-specific calibration factor.

Silver Perch Excel file (Microsoft Excel download)