Experimentally Reducing Competition and Other Biotic Limitations Can Impact Growth, Food Habits, and Activity and Lead to Age‐1 Maturation in Yellow Perch

Much attention has been given to describing how abiotic factors impact the population dynamics of Yellow Perch Perca flavescens, especially during early life history; however, the impacts of biotic factors are less understood. In this study, we simplified the community assemblage to reduce interspecific competition and gain a better understanding of the role biotic conditions play in creating Yellow Perch fisheries. Yellow Perch were introduced into three recently renovated lakes in an attempt to increase growth rates through reduced interspecific competition and hypothetically allow fish to reach an acceptable size for angler harvest in a shorter period of time compared with four mixed‐species lakes. Yellow Perch‐only populations exhibited faster growth, potentially resulting from reduced interspecific competition, increased piscivory, and lower levels of activity. Yellow Perch‐only populations also had more consistent recruitment, onset of maturation at age 1, and an earlier onset of sexual size dimorphism compared with mixed‐species lakes and published literature. While limitations of density dependence were noted, natural resource managers are encouraged to investigate methods that would capitalize on the improved population dynamics of Yellow Perch‐only lakes and the release from biotic controls.