Green Sunfish

My first green sunfish. Having caught a few bluegills, and several bluegill-green sunfish hybrids, I was very happy with the new addition of this species (Lepomis cyanellus) to my life list. The sunfish genus is a very diverse, and sometimes hard to identify, group of fish.  Not only do these fish share many traits, but we humans are also forcing them to share habitats.

This genus of fish can and will interbreed, giving rise to some strange looking hybrids. In nature, these fish are spread out and their populations are separated in different parts of the USA. In some states, certain species are seen as invasive and are killed if caught. In other parts, people label all sunfish as bluegill and would not even consider the impact of releasing different species to a body of water.

Green sunfish and bluegill are both native to Nevada. Due to barriers between water bodies in the area, natural introduction of new sunfish here is highly unlikely. So, these two species have found an equilibrium in the habitat that they share. This is not the case for many bodies of water in the eastern parts of the USA. Green sunfish tend to have bigger mouths, and are more ferocious in nature, more so than many other small sunfish. This means they can easily outcompete other sunfish for food.

With its beautiful colors and patterns, I was delighted to catch this fish. However, the mood and feeling on social media sites towards a fish like this is troubling. Most people don’t care and would not even research the small (insignificant according to them) differences between these fish. And yet, these fish are an important link in the chain of their environment. This is what I would like to teach; no matter how small or insignificant it may seem, handle all creatures with respect. They may be more important than you know.