Wise Lake Associations Identify and Protect Vital Sunfish Spawning
Beds from the Harmful Influences of Recreational Boaters and Fisherman
Article and Photos by
Scott Brown
MWA e-Newsletter Editor
Occurring in response to longer periods of daylight and as the gradually warming water temperatures of mid-to-late spring and early summer reach 60 to 70 degrees, several members of the sunfish family that inhabit thousands of Michigan’s inland lakes including bluegill, red ear sunfish, pumpkinseed, green sunfish, and largemouth bass migrate from their deep water winter habitat to areas of their lake hosting shallow waters to begin their annual spawning cycle.
Sunfish spawning beds are most often observed near the outer most edges of aquatic plant meadows and/or near areas of the lake’s bottom hosting woody debris in water depths ranging from eighteen inches (1.5′) to five feet (5.0′). Sunfish spawning beds often consist of hundreds of nests lying in close proximity to one another. Sunfish spawning beds are often located near submerged aquatic plant meadows or areas hosting woody debris due to the fact that the complex habitat provided by aquatic plants and/or woody debris plays a critical role in helping to sustain inland lake fish populations by forming protective habitat that allows hatchling and juvenile fish to avoid predation, and by providing a prey rich environment that enables the fledgling ability of young fish to successfully forage for life sustaining food.
The annual spawning process begins as the male of the species uses his pelvic, anal, and tail fins to create gravel and stone filled depressions that serve as protective nests in the sediment. It is important to point out that the act of creating a nest is often sufficient for the male sunfish to attract a suitable female mate. The reproductive process continues as the female deposits thousands of tiny eggs into the protected interstitial spaces that lie between the gravel and stone within their nests. With her critical role now complete, the female of the species leaves the spawning area . In addition to continuing the reproductive process by fertilizing the eggs within his nest with his sperm, the male of the species pro-actively protects the now fertilized eggs by hovering over the nest and aggressively chasing away hungry predators seeking a protein rich meal consisting of fish eggs, and by using his tail to prevent sediment from accumulating on the now fertilized eggs in the nest (see the photo above). The male continues to protect his nest up to the point that the eggs develop into tiny hatchlings that are capable of venturing into protective habitat comprised of nearby aquatic plant meadows or areas hosting woody debris that also provide a prey rich environment that enables the fledgling ability of young fish to successfully forage for life sustaining food.
Concentrated in shallow areas of inland lakes protected from wind and waves, sunfish spawning beds often consist of hundreds of individual nests that during late spring and early summer are each tended to by adult male sunfish. It is important to point out that sunfish spawning beds are highly vulnerable to damage and the potential loss of millions of developing eggs due to the propeller wash of watercraft operating in shallow waters. The turbulence created by prop wash acts to flush tiny fish eggs out of their protective nests – thereby destroying the eggs and/or making them vulnerable to being consumed by predators. The adult males that protect each of the nests are also highly vulnerable to being caught by recreational fisherman – the loss of the nest’s protective male all but ensures that the eggs within the nest will be consumed by predators or smothered by sediment.
Lake associations, individual lake users and recreational fisherman can help support the capacity of our bluegill, our red ear sunfish, our pumpkinseeds, our green sunfish and our largemouth bass to successfully reproduce by:
- Identifying areas of their lake hosting sunfish spawning beds and by taking steps to protect sunfish spawning beds and the fish engaged in the annual reproductive cycle;
- Refraining from operating their watercraft in shallow areas of inland lakes that may be hosting sunfish spawning beds;
- Supporting spawning sunfish by not fishing in areas of the lake hosting spawning beds;
- Not taking the maximum number of sunfish allowed under Michigan law – taking the maximum number of fish allowed under the law is not a sustainable practice – by practicing “catch and release” you help ensure sustainable populations of largemouth bass, bluegills, and other sunfish species into the future;
- Practicing “catch and release” in late spring and early summer in order to protect male sunfish that maybe pro-actively engaged in protecting their nests;
It is important to note that lake associations seeking to protect and support the reproductive efforts of the several sunfish species that inhabit most of our inland lakes should seek to educate their members in regards to the presence of spawning beds and the need to help protect those areas in late spring and early summer in order to help ensure the continued existence of a healthy, diverse fishery. Lake management companies are capable of identifying areas of your lake hosting sunfish spawning beds.
To learn more about the several sunfish species that inhabit Michigan’s inland lakes, point your internet browser to the sunfish info dedicated MI DNR web page :
https://www.michigan.gov/dnr/