Michigan Department of Natural Resources
Fisheries Research Report No.1810, 1974
Growth, Survival, and Reproduction of Bluegill X Green Sunfish Hybrids
Percy W. Laarman
Abstract.-Growth rates, survival rates, and reproduction of male bluegills x female green sunfish hybrids were determined in three small, natural lakes from which other fish had been removed. Reproduction of F1 hybrids was also determined in six experimental ponds. In the three lakes, survival rates of hybrids, starting with 25-mm fingerlings, over a 2-year period ranged from 7.7 to 33. 5%. Growth of hybrids compared favorably with that of bluegills. Survival of F2 hybrids in the three natural lakes and six experimental ponds was extremely limited. Thirty-two man hours of angling removed 273 fish, or 39% of the estimated hybrid population (704 fish) in one test lake.