Leiopotherapon plumbeus facts for kids
Leiopotherapon plumbeus, also known as the silver perch, is a type of fish that belongs to the Terapontidae family, often called grunters. This special fish is found only in the Philippines. There, people call it by several local names like ayungin, bugaong, bigaong, and bagaong.
Quick facts for kids Leiopotherapon plumbeus |
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| Leiopotherapon plumbeus being sold in a Philippine market. | |
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Datnia plumbea Kner, 1864 |
Contents
About the Silver Perch
This fish can grow up to 16 centimeters long. That's about the length of a regular pencil!
How Silver Perch Reproduce
When it's time for new silver perch to be born, the male fish takes on a very important job. He carefully guards and looks after the eggs until they hatch. This is called paternal care, and it means the dad fish is a super protector!
What Silver Perch Are Used For
People in the Philippines catch the silver perch to eat. Many consider it one of the most delicious native freshwater fish in the country. Because it tastes so good, many people want to buy it. This has made it quite rare in markets, and it can be expensive.
Sometimes, this fish is also used as food for ducks.
Protecting the Silver Perch
The number of silver perch has gone down a lot. This is mainly because of overfishing, which means too many fish are being caught. For example, in 1991, it was the most common fish in Laguna de Bay, the biggest lake in the Philippines. But by 2002, it was only the third most common.
Other problems like silt (muddy stuff settling at the bottom) and pollution also hurt the fish population in the lake.
Helping Silver Perch Populations
Scientists are working to help the silver perch. They are raising them in special projects called captive breeding. In these projects, the fish grow well when they eat prawn food and tubifex worms. Sometimes, they even get a little bit of hormones to help them lay eggs.
Gallery
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Ayungin found in Lake Buhi, Camarines Sur.
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This species, known locally as 'ayungin', is a common food fish in the country.
