Dispatch Method:

The eating qualities of silver perch can be greatly improved if they are killed humanely by iki jime, or a firm knock to the head before being placed in an ice slurry after bleeding.

Fish Description:

• Silver perch are dark grey to greyish-brown above and silvery on the sides. The belly is whitish. Juveniles are mottled with darker vertical bars.
  
• Males mature at around 24 cm long (2 years old) while females mature at around 34 cm (3-4 years old). Spawning occurs in spring and summer after an upstream migration when water temperatures exceed 23°C.

Fish Distribution:

• Originally widespread throughout the Murray-Darling system, and introduced into the Lake Eyre Basin. They tend to prefer areas of higher water flow.
  
• Silver perch fingerlings have also been stocked into a large number of impoundments and farm dams.
  
• Once one of the most common fishes within the Murray Darling system, this species has experienced a significant decline in distribution and abundance throughout most of its natural range due mainly to habitat modification.

Fish Size Common Length:

25-35 cm, maximum size 50+ cm and 8 kg.