Lepomis cyanellus

History of Spread

Lepomis cyanellus (Green Sunfish) is native to the Great Lakes, Hudson Bay and Missisippi Basins from NY and Ontario to MN, SD south to Gulf (Escambia River FL) south to the Rio Grande (Jenkins and Burkhead 1993; Lee et al. 1980; Page and Burr 1991). This fish was probably widely introduced by United States Fish Commission and state fish commissions in mixtures recorded as 'Sun-Fish' or 'Bream'. This fish is introduced over most of United States and Canada, including NV, UT, and CA (where it is abundant, frequently displacing native fishes) and also in Europe (Carlander 1977; Dill and Cordone 1997; Hardy 1978; Page and Burr 1991). It is introduced in the Hudson River, the Columbia River, and the San Francisco Bay Delta (Cohen and Carlton 1995; Fuller et al. 1999; Mills et al. 1997). Altogether, it has been introduced to 29 state, and is established in most (Fuller et al. 1999).

In the Chesapeake region, many of these 'bream' and 'sun-fish' stockings were of small ponds, recorded by pond name only, so the full extent of the introduction is difficult to trace. Shipments and stocking by United States Fish Commission continued until the 1930's. Stocking has been continued by many state agencies to the present.

James River - Introductions of 390 adult 'Sun-fish' were made by United States Fish Commission in 1901 (Ravenel 1902). The first verified capture of L. cyanellus in the drainage was in 1947 (Jenkins and Burkhead 1993).

Rappahannock River - The first verified record in the drainage was in 1941 (Jenkins and Burkhead 1993); but it was not recorded in the estuary in a 1951 survey (Massman et al. 1952). In the 1980s, it was present in 1st order streams of the tidal region (Maurakis et al. 1987).

Potomac River - The earliest verified record is in 1900 (Jenkins and Burkhead 1993). By 1911, 'this western sunfish occurs in very large numbers in the vicinity of Chain Bridge (Bean and Weed 1911). It was probably introduced by United States Fish Commission with mixed batches of 'Bream' or 'Sun-Fishes' (Jenkins and Burkhead 1993). There are apparently no recent records from tidal Potomac (Lippson and Moran 1974) but it is common locally in nontidal river (Jenkins and Burkhead 1993), in nontidal waters of Rock Creek and Anacostia River (Lippson et al. 1979), and nontidal creeks at Fort Belvoir, near Gunston Cove (Ernst et al. 1995).

Patuxent River - Before 1950, L. cyanellus was 'commonly distributed in sluggish freshwater streams of the basin.' It has not been recorded from the estuary (Jug Bay Wetlands Sanctuary 1995; Mansueti 1950).

Susquehanna River - 'Bream' were released in the Susquehanna drainage by the United States Fish Commission between 1910-1919 (Bowers 1911; Leach 1919). Lepomis cyanellus was not listed for Susquehanna in PA in 1893 (Bean 1893), 1919 (Fowler 1919), or 1948 (Fowler 1948). However, L. cyanellus was common in the lower Susquehanna (PA) by 1961 (Bielo 1963) and collected below Conowingo Dam after 1972 (McKeown 1984).

Upper Bay tributaries - Lepomis cyanellus was not listed in early Upper Bay surveys (Fowler 1917; Fowler 1933; Hildebrand and Schroeder 1928; Radcliffe and Welsh 1917), but may have been introduced to tributaries as 'bream' by United States Fish Commission (e.g. ponds in Bel Air MD, 1909 (Bowers 1911); Patapsco River 1919; Leach 1921) and possibly also by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. The first published catch record for the Upper Bay is in 1949, for Principio Creek, Cecil County (U.S. National Museum of Natural History 1996). It was also found in a creel survey in the Northeast River (Elser 1958). Lepomis cyanellus are apparently now common on Susquehanna Flats (Serafy et al. 1995), and rare but regular in the Rhode River (Hines et al. unpublished). They were found in the watersheds of the Severn and Rhode Rivers (Kazyak et al. 1998).

Eastern Shore Tributaries- Lepomis cyanellus was present but very local by 1976. It probably was introduced much earlier (Lee et al. 1976). In MD Department of Natural Resources stream surveys, scattered occurrences were found in the Choptank and Pocomoke basins, generally far from tidal waters (Kazyak et al. 1998b; Kazyak et al. 1998c)

Delaware River - Lepomis cyanellus was not listed by Fowler (1948) for this river. It was collected in DE ponds and nontidal streams in 1952 (Raasch and Altemus 1991). Currently, L. cyanellus is a stray in tidal freshwater of Delaware River (Horwitz 1986). History References - Bean 1893; Bean and Weed 1911; Bielo 1963; Bowers 1911; Carlander 1977; Elser 1958; Ernst et al. 1995; Dill and Cordone 1997; Fowler 1917; Fowler 1919; Fowler 1933; Fowler 1948; Fuller et al. 1999; Hardy 1978; Hildebrand and Schroeder 1928; Horwitz 1986;Kazyak et al. 1998b; Kazyak et al. 1998c; Leach 1921; Lee et al. 1976; Lippson and Moran 1974; Lippson et al. 1979; Mansueti 1950; Maurakis et al. 1987; McKeown 1984; Page and Burr 1991; Raasch and Altemus 1991; Radcliffe and Welsh 1917; Ravenel 1902; Serafy et al. 1994; Smith 1918

Invasion Comments