The Sacramento perch (SP) is a native sunfish that once was abundant, but is now extirpated from almost all of its former habitats throughout the Sacramento-San Joaquin watershed.

Recovery strategies for SP in the San Francisco Estuary have been proposed for study, but have not been developed because of the general lack of biological knowledge, i.e., life history, physiological tolerance limits, behavioral tendencies.

This project proposes to:

1. Summarize existing information on SP emphasizing factors contributing to survival of introduced populations, collapse of native populations, and persistence of some native populations
2. Document early life history of SP and the factors contributing to survival of early life history stages
3. Document physiological tolerance limits and preferences of juvenile and adult SP, specifically regarding upper and lower temperature limits, upper salinity limits, upper and lower pH limits, lower dissolved oxygen limits, and upper velocity limits
4. Document the genetic variation within and among the extant populations of SP by examining variation at microsatellite loci
5. Develop reestablishment strategies for SP, including analysis of institutional, physical, and biological barriers to their reintroduction into the San Francisco Estuary and Central Valley.