Status of the Longear Sunfish, Lepomis megalotis, in Western New York, USA

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.