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Bluegill
Lepomis macrochirus
Photo credit: Bill Byrne, MA
Division of Fisheries and Wildlife
Habitat requirements and life history:
The bluegill was introduced to Massachusetts from its original
range, which extended from western New York South to Florida
and west to the Rockies. It was widely stocked during the
first half of the 19th century and is now common except on
Cape Cod. Bluegills prefer lakes, ponds and slow-moving rivers
that are warm, quiet, shallow, and weedy. Blue gills tend
to overpopulate the waters in which they live, leading to
stunted growth rates and large populations of small fish.
They feed primarily on insects, but will also eat crustaceans,
fish eggs, very small fish and aquatic vegetation. Bluegills
feed most actively when water temperatures reach 81 degrees
Fahrenheit. Like all sunfish, the bluegill breed in the spring
in shallow, saucer-shaped nests scooped out by the males.
They usually concentrate their nests in colonies. Then males
round up one or more females and bring them to the nest to
lay eggs. After the male fertilizes the eggs, he drives off
the female and fans the eggs with his tail until they hatch.
He will stay to protect the young until they can fend for
themselves. (Sources: Massachusetts
Wildlife, No. 2, 2000, Special Fishing Issue and AMC Guide
to Freshwater Fishing in New England)
Total length: 5
- 7 inches (some populations up to 12 inches).
Pollution tolerance (US EPA): Tolerant
Classification:
Macrohabitat generalist
Number of fish found during 1954 &
2001 Fish Surveys:*
| Location |
No. of Fish 1954 |
No. of Fish 2001 |
| Assabet River |
396 |
325 |
| Assabet Brook |
|
15 |
| Cold Harbor Brook |
1 |
7 |
| Danforth Brook |
|
2 |
| Fort Meadow Brook |
1 |
|
| Hop Brook |
|
1 |
| Nashoba Brook |
41 |
4 |
| North Brook |
12 |
|
| Spencer Brook |
76 |
|
| Stirrup Brook |
92 |
|
| Total |
619 |
354 |
*Sources:
Schlotterbeck, L.C. and W.A. Tompkins, 1954. "A
Fisheries Investigation of the Merrimack and Ipswich River Drainages."
Bureau of Wildlife Research and Management, Massachusetts Division
of Fisheries and Game.
DFW, 2001. Assabet Watershed Fish Survey. MA Department of
Fisheries and Wildlife, Westborough, MA.
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