Science Centres: Aquatic Biodiversity and Biosecurity

European perch – a pest in New Zealand’s waters. (Photo: NIWA)

NIWA biosecurity scientists are investigating attractant pheromones for luring perch into nets. The research could be a boon to controlling perch in high value conservation areas.

Perch have spread throughout New Zealand waterways since being introduced in the 1870s and are thought to have decimated some native fish populations.

Catching perch in nets can be “pretty hit-and-miss,” says NIWA scientist Dr Cindy Baker. In the wild, female perch release pheromones prior to ovulation to attract spawning males. If these pheromones could be identified and synthesised, tiny amounts could be used to attract perch over long distances, making eradication easier

In the lab, Cindy searches for attractant pheromones by exposing male perch to female urine and tank water, chemically separating out the different compounds, and re-testing them on the males. The research is in its early stages, but Cindy and chemist Dr Mike Stewart have so far synthesised one compound that looks promising.

This research is funded by NIWA and the Foundation for Research, Science & Technology.