Yellow perch in Okhotsk

In the rivers flowing into the Sea of ​​Okhotsk in the Okhotsk district, the yellow perch was absent. This fish is numerous further north - beyond the watershed between the rivers of the basins of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk and the Arctic Ocean. About 20 years ago, the helicopter pilots have stocked the yellow perch from the lakes of the Yudoma River (Lena River basin) into the Lake Ueginskoe. This large clear lake is connected with the Okhota River and located 100 km above the village of Arka. A large stock of sockeye salmon is spawning in the lake.

The introduction of the nonnative predator into the salmon water was an act of glaring nonsense. This could not but lead to a reduction in the number of sockeye salmon. I am sure the perch is surely actively feeding by the salmon juveniles. However, there is no scientific data of the impact of the new species on the ecosystem. The yellow perch has found in a new place good habitats: it is growing rapidly and reaches enormous size. In recent years, the perches weighing over 3 kilograms has been caught here.