Sacramento perch

I'm in CA and have a pretty big 3000 gallon or so pond in my backyard. I wonder, is it possible to get ahold of these guys? With the local bird population(egrets) constantly visiting the pond for takeout the goldfish never have much of a chance to put on size or numbers...we grew a few to 8 inches before they got deported. I was thinking if I raised a few of these up to over a foot they would be interesting pond inhabitants. I've also toyed the possibility of catfish or other centrachids, but would like to use a native if possible. I know they are a species of special concern here, but I recall that does not giv ethem any legal protection. I don't think it would be legal to catch them and put them in the pond(besides, they'd be tough to find), but perhaps find someone who has access to the introduced populations in the midwest?

howdy,

The bad news is that California has some very stringent regs regarding transport of live fish. The Dept of Fish & Game has a list of registered aquaculturists that may or may not have Sac perch available. You can request a list of these folks from the DFG - check their website. Native fishes caught under authority of a fishing license cannot be transported alive from the place that they were caught.

The absurdity: a couple weeks back I watched an elderly gentleman fill a 5 gallon bucket with Sac perch destined for the frying pan, yet it's illegal to even keep one alive for a hypothetical aquarium in my apartment. Meanwhile, a native and unappreciated fish continues to decline, mainly due to introduced exotic competitors like largemouth bass, striped bass, and green sunfish...


Sorry.

Cheers,
Dave

I'm in CA and have a pretty big 3000 gallon or so pond in my backyard. I wonder, is it possible to get ahold of these guys? With the local bird population(egrets) constantly visiting the pond for takeout the goldfish never have much of a chance to put on size. I was thinking if I raised a few of these up to over a foot they would be interesting pond inhabitants. I've also toyed the possibility of catfish or other centrachids, but would like to use a native if possible. I know they are a species of special concern here, but I recall that does not giv ethem any legal protection. I don't think it would be legal to catch them and put them in the pond(besides, they'd be tough to find), but perhaps find someone who has access to the introduced populations in the midwest?

howdy,

The bad news is that California has some very stringent regs regarding transport of live fish. The Dept of Fish & Game has a list of registered aquaculturists that may or may not have Sac perch available. You can request a list of these folks from the DFG - check their website. Native fishes caught under authority of a fishing license cannot be transported alive from the place that they were caught.

The absurdity: a couple weeks back I watched an elderly gentleman fill a 5 gallon bucket with Sac perch destined for the frying pan, yet it's illegal to even keep one alive for a hypothetical aquarium in my apartment. Meanwhile, a native and unappreciated fish continues to decline, mainly due to introduced exotic competitors like largemouth bass, striped bass, and green sunfish...
Sorry.

Cheers,
Dave

Hello Dave,

Thats why I was considering the out of state option of obtaining them. I heard of someone in contra Costa mosquito abatement raising them for mosquito control...he got an article in the news. Does anyone farm these fish for stocking and sell them to people? I bet the minimum order is way too many for someone like me though. I'd guess my pond could only house 5 at the very most comfortably, and a breeding pair or trio would be wiser I'd imagine.

There are now some options from in-state aquaculturists for juvenile sacramento perch. They apparently have the potential to get huge though ( 60cm? ). Seems like you'd want a very large tank for them if you were able to keep them long term.

On a related note . . . maybe new regulations limiting the stocking of non-natives will inspire aquaculturists to expand their native collections. Many stocking companies are still trying to recreate a mississippi back swamp.

Maybe try this one I have not contacted them though, but it sounds like (from the name anyway) that they might be able to help.
But you can still check the States list for others.

SHAYNES WATER GARDENS AND PONDS
(760) 772-2817
0875
INDIO CA 92203
38995 RANCHO LOS COYOTES
Comment Code(s):
Product(s) produced:
Registration Number:
MAILING ADDRESS B C D K L N
black crappie bluegill bullfrog
channel catfish fathead minnow goldfish
koi carp largemouth bass mosquito fish
red swamp crayfish redear sunfish Sacramento perch
smallmouth bass striped bass white crappie

I was looking at Speed Tech Aquaculture Inc. in Merced. They will also stock ponds with Sacramento Perch.

I'm not sure how big of aquarium you would need for them or whether they would thrive in that environment. Contra Costa Mosquito Control is experimenting with them (cmiller on this forum).