Data for "European perch Perca fluviatilis in Norway: a large-scale evaluation of variation in growth"https://doi.org/10.18710/2ROMZFVøllestad, Leif AsbjørnDataverseNO2026-06-222026-06-22T11:11:13ZThe European perch Perca fluviatilis is one of the most widely distributed freshwater fishes in Norway, and in Europe. Norwegian populations are found across 10 degrees in latitude, 23 degrees longitude and at elevations up to 1000 m above sea level. I have collected a large set of published data on growth for perch from a total of 106 locations and analyze how different growth metrics (extracted from von Bertalanffy growth models) are related to various environmental variables. The average L_∞ was 283 mm (range 1226 – 926 mm). But there as an accumulation of observations on L_∞ around lengths of ≈200 mm. Some very large estimates clearly indicate some biased sampling. The main driver of variation in the theoretical maximum size seems to be the number of sympatric fish species. The perch potentially go through two important ontogenetic niche shifts, where the last shift – from benthivory to piscivory – is needed for the perch to reach large sizes. The number of sympatric fish species also drives size divergences between the sexes. In addition to the importance of fish-community complexity, elevation (a proxy for temperature during the growth season) was important for explaining variation in growth pattern. The overall result is that the composition of the fish community is the most important factor impacting on the growth of perch, probably through a combination of effects of competition, predation risk and availability of small-sized fish as preyMedicine, Health and Life SciencesecologygrowthPerca fluviatilisNorwayclimateEnglishVøllestad, L.A. European perch Perca fluviatilis in Norway: a large-scale evaluation of variation in growth. Submitted manuscript., doi2026-06-22Vøllestad, Leif AsbjørnLeif Asbjørn A Vøllestad2026-06-15field study dataNorwayCC0 1.0