The male remains to defend the nest from predators and fan the eggs to keep them aerated and clean of debris. After spawning, the female leaves the nest. One female may deposit eggs into several nests, and more than one female may deposit eggs into a single nest. When a female is attracted to the nest, her eggs are deposited and then fertilized. A male circles its nest and produces courtship calls consisting of a series of grunts. Sunfish are colonial nesters, with nests in densely packed clusters (Fig. Males construct nests in shallow water by sweeping a depression in the sand or gravel. Male sunfish usually appear first at the spawning sites. These early studies found that all sunfish begin spawning in late spring or early summer and most continue spawning until early fall. The first researchers observed the basic biological activities of sunfish. However, widespread introductions have increased the ranges of these sunfish throughout the country. and the redear sunfish in the southeastern U.S.

The native range of the bluegill was in the eastern U.S., while the green sunfish was found in the central U.S. The sunfish family, Centrarchidae, is a strictly North American fish family. After spawning the male sunfish defends the nest and cares for the eggs.

Sunfish are colonial nesters, constructing nests in densely packed clusters. Spawning and reproductive activity Figure 1. Because of these particular characteristics, there is much interest in culturing hybrid sunfish commercially both for pond stocking and for food fish. However, some sunfish crosses have hybrid vigor that is observed in improved growth rates, greater acceptance of formulated feeds, greater tolerance of cooler water temperatures and poor environmental conditions, and greater vulnerability to angling. Although hybrid sunfish are not sterile, some specific crosses result in skewed sex ratios (predominately males) and other crosses exhibit abnormal reproductive behavior both conditions can reduce reproductive potential. Various sunfish species interbreed readily, so hybrid production is relatively simple. Producing hybrids is one strategy for controlling sunfish overpopulation. This often results in overpopulation and stunted growth most fish are less than 5 inches (12.7 cm) long. Sunfish are extremely productive, with each female producing an average of 80,000 eggs per year from several successive spawns. Since the 1930s sunfish, primarily bluegill, often have been stocked with largemouth bass ( Micropterus salmoides) and are themselves popular sport fish. Sunfish are important forage fish throughout the United States. cyanellus) are the most common of the 11 sunfish species. Bluegill ( Lepomis macrochirus), redear ( L.

Green bass fish