Perca schrenkii

Taxonomy

Assessment Information

Geographic Range

Population

Habitat and Ecology

Threats

Taxonomy [top]

Kingdom	Phylum	Class	Order	Family
ANIMALIA	CHORDATA	ACTINOPTERYGII	PERCIFORMES	PERCIDAE

Scientific Name:

Perca schrenkii

Species Authority:

Kessler, 1874

Common Name/s:

English

–

Balkhash Perch

Synonym/s:

Perca schrenki Kessler, 1874 [orth. error]

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria:

Data Deficient ver 2.3

Year Assessed:

1996

Annotations:

Needs updating

Assessor/s

Kottelat, M.

History:

1996	–	Data Deficient (Baillie and Groombridge 1996)
1994	–	Rare (Groombridge 1994)
1990	–	Rare (IUCN 1990)
1988	–	Rare (IUCN Conservation Monitoring Centre 1988)
1986	–	Rare (IUCN Conservation Monitoring Centre 1986)

Geographic Range [top]

Range Description:	The Balkhash perch occurs naturally in Lake Balkhash and the Alakol lake group (Kazakhstan), and associated catchment areas (extending into China) (Sokolovsky, pers. comm). It has also been introduced into Kyrgyzstan (MEP 1998, Sokolovsky pers. comm.) and Uzbekistan (Kamilov 1966, Nuriyev 1967).
Countries:	Native: China; Kazakhstan Introduced: Kyrgyzstan; Uzbekistan

Population [top]

Population:	Before acclimatization works were carried out in catchment areas of Balkhash and Alakol lakes, Perca schrenkii was the predominating species in the lakes and lowland rivers. In the 1930s and 1940s this fish constituted up to one third of commercial fishery volume in Balkhash Lake and two thirds in the lakes in the Alakol group (Sokolovsky et al. 2000). In the mid-1960s the population decreased in Balkhash Lake and it catchment area, and since the mid-1970s the species has no longer been accounted for in statistical reports on yields in Balkhash Lake and Elee River (Sokolovsky, pers. comm.). In the Alakol catchment area, P. schrenkii were no longer caught in Sasykkol and Kaschkarkol lakes since the mid-1980s, although the species does still remain in the shoreline areas (Sokolovsky, pers. comm.). However, the perch population in Alakol lake is still substantial and is used by commercial fisheries (Sokolvsky, pers. comm.). Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, this species migrated or was introduced into many other water bodies in Kazakhstan and Middle Asia, including Chyrchyk River (Kamylov 1966) and Kattakurgan Reservoir (Nuriev 1967) in Uzbekistan, and the Nizhne-Ala-Archa Reservoir in Kyrgyzstan (Pivnev 1985). Information on subpopulatons of Balkhash perch in China is currently unavailable.
Population Trend:	Unknown

Population:

Before acclimatization works were carried out in catchment areas of Balkhash and Alakol lakes, Perca schrenkii was the predominating species in the lakes and lowland rivers. In the 1930s and 1940s this fish constituted up to one third of commercial fishery volume in Balkhash Lake and two thirds in the lakes in the Alakol group (Sokolovsky et al. 2000). In the mid-1960s the population decreased in Balkhash Lake and it catchment area, and since the mid-1970s the species has no longer been accounted for in statistical reports on yields in Balkhash Lake and Elee River (Sokolovsky, pers. comm.). In the Alakol catchment area, P. schrenkii were no longer caught in Sasykkol and Kaschkarkol lakes since the mid-1980s, although the species does still remain in the shoreline areas (Sokolovsky, pers. comm.). However, the perch population in Alakol lake is still substantial and is used by commercial fisheries (Sokolvsky, pers. comm.).

Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, this species migrated or was introduced into many other water bodies in Kazakhstan and Middle Asia, including Chyrchyk River (Kamylov 1966) and Kattakurgan Reservoir (Nuriev 1967) in Uzbekistan, and the Nizhne-Ala-Archa Reservoir in Kyrgyzstan (Pivnev 1985).

Information on subpopulatons of Balkhash perch in China is currently unavailable.

Population Trend:

Unknown

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology:	Perca schrenkii has several ecological forms (ecomorphs): pelagic, shoreline and dwarfish, which allows the species to occur in different biotopes and maximize food resources in the water body.
Systems:	Freshwater

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s):	Population declines in Balkhash Lake and the surrounding rivers have been attributed to the introduction of bream and predatory fish species, such as Zander Sander volgensis.

Major Threat(s):

Population declines in Balkhash Lake and the surrounding rivers have been attributed to the introduction of bream and predatory fish species, such as Zander Sander volgensis.

Citation:	Kottelat, M. 1996. Perca schrenkii. In: IUCN 2008. 2008 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 08 January 2009.
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