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Status of the Longear Sunfish, Lepomis megalotis, in Western New York, USA
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2007-05
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Abstract
Widespread throughout the southern and eastern portions of the Mississippi River and
Great Lakes drainages, the longear sunfish (Lepomis megalotis) is at the eastern edge of
its range in western New York and eastern Quebec. Historically, longear sunfish occurred
in three watersheds (Map 1a), Oneida Lake’s outlet to the Oswego River, tributaries and
bays of southwestern Lake Ontario (Johnson Creek, Jeddo Creek, Oak Orchard Creek,
Marsh Creek, Braddock Bay and West Creek), and a tributary of the Niagara River,
Tonawanda Creek. Intensive sampling since 1999 in historical waters shows that longear
sunfish now have a sustained population in only one area, a 2.3 mi section of Tonawanda
Creek just upstream from its junction with the Erie Canal; therefore, it is threatened in
New York State.