New Hampshire Fish and Game Confirms Invasive Green Sunfish
Eugene L. 05.31.23
Fisheries biologists from the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department (NHFG) have confirmed that non-native, invasive green sunfish are now present in the Piscataqoug River downstream from the Weare Reservoir, the body of water also known as Horace Lake. The sunfish were also found in Waukewan Lake as well. Back in 2022, biologists with the NH Department of Environmental Services discovered three of the invasive sunfish in the Little Sugar River in Charlestown, NH. While native to the United States, invasive green sunfish are a concern due to their ability to out-compete New Hampshire’s native species of sunfish for food and habitat resources.
The green sunfish is a member of the sunfish family, just like the rest of their native relatives like the largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, bluegill, redbreast sunfish, and pumpkinseed to name a few. They are found in a wide variety of lakes, ponds, rivers, and streams throughout the United States and can tolerate a wide range of environmental conditions. This adaptability has let the green sunfish easily survive outside their native range of the central United States east of the Rocky Mountains, including the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River basin. Along with that, they have a large mouth that enables them to have more predatory behavior and be able to consume a wider variety of prey compared to that of the native pumpkinseed or redbreast sunfish. This advantage allows them to outcompete native species and has led to the sunfish spreading to all lower 48 contiguous states.
Green sunfish are also a popular aquarium fish often kept by aquarists, which is likely how they made their way in New Hampshire waters. Please help out protecting native species in New Hampshire and anywhere else by not releasing your pets into the natural environment. It’s illegal and can introduce invasive species and pathogens to our waterways. If you suspect to have caught a green sunfish in New Hampshire, please do not release it. Humanely dispatch the fish, and preserve the colorations and identifying characteristics. Take a clear photo of the fish, record where you caught it, and email your findings to fisheries@wildlife.nh.gov.
