Thread: Need to allow non-commercial fishermen to sell white perch

Are you talking about any lake in particular? I know there's a ton of perch in Harris Lake and Jordan Lake but there's also a ton of crappie. I haven't seen that the perch are overrunning the crappie yet. Yet being the key word. I tend to keep every single perch I catch whether I eat them, give them away or fertilize the garden.

Something has put a terrible hurting on the white bass in all the lakes here and I always hear it was the perch to blame.Not sure of Harris and Jordan white bass numbers ten to fifteen years ago,or now.thats about when they declined on the Catawba river chain.

I am talking about inland fishery, coastal not included. For example, Lake Norman white bass' decline at about the same time its white perch boom.

Originally Posted by hockey86

Are you talking about any lake in particular? I know there's a ton of perch in Harris Lake and Jordan Lake but there's also a ton of crappie. I haven't seen that the perch are overrunning the crappie yet. Yet being the key word. I tend to keep every single perch I catch whether I eat them, give them away or fertilize the garden.

Who would buy them and for what?

Monk

White perch are highly destructive to many other species because they attack spawning areas of many major species and virtually wipe out a high percentage of eggs and small hatchlings. They are also so aggressive that they out compete with other species when it comes to foraging. That is exactly the problem (and will continue to be) with the white bass populations more and more over time. If you don't know it yet; you will know it soon enough: When a school of voracious white perch comes through your fishing area the crappie bite stops and every rod in your array will go down at the same time making a huge tangled mess of everything within seconds. Lots of fun... and I love to eat em... but it is no doubt a (fish conservation) best practice to remove or kill every one you catch. My two cents.

Catch them from Jordan Lake then bring them to the Tiger Rescue. I'm sure they would appreciate a cooler full.

You can sell them in sc with a dealer permit but you would probably only get a couple cents a pound.

If regulation permits, it can be sold at flea market, farmer's market or the like, for $1/lb and will be good business, and good for our fishery. I know Asians would love to eat them.

Originally Posted by monkscrappie

Who would buy them and for what?

Monk