Pond Substrate Type Affects Yellow Perch Fingerling Size at Harvest

Fish size and harvest density generally exhibit a negative relationship in pond culture, but the influence that pond substrate type can have on this relationship is not well understood. To evaluate the influence of pond substrate type on yellow perch (Perca flavescens), harvest density (number/hectare) was linearly regressed against individual fingerling size (grams) for lined (n = 48) and earthen (n = 40) substrate ponds that were treated similarly in terms of organic fertilizer use and the number of days in the pond over 12 culture seasons at Blue Dog Lake State Hatchery, South Dakota, USA. Harvest density explained 45 and 39% of the variation in yellow perch size in lined and earthen-substrate ponds (all P P = 0.62); however, fingerling size was significantly larger in lined ponds regardless of density that varied from near 0 to 700,000 per hectare (y-intercept comparison, P < 0.01). At the same harvest density, lined ponds will tend to produce larger yellow perch fingerlings compared to earthen ponds when similar organic fertilizers are used.