Variation in Growth and Survival of Bluegills and Redbreast Sunfish in Georgia Rivers

Abstract

Growth and survival of bluegills Lepomis macrochirus and redbreast sunfish L. auritus (N = 5,664) were examined in 13 river sections located in the southern half of Georgia. Bluegills tended to grow faster than redbreast sunfish within rivers where the two species were collected together. Annual survival of redbreast sunfish (range = 18–52%; mean = 38%) was greater than that of bluegills (range = 21–34%; mean = 29%). For both species, growth of males was generally greater than females, though annual survival did not differ significantly between sexes for either species. Growth of redbreast sunfish and bluegills appeared to increase along a northwest to southeast gradient across the state of Georgia. Growth variation of these sunfishes was likely mediated by prey availability, habitat, and physicochemical variables within each river section.