This is from Daryl Bauer of the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission.
"Bruce,
Let me tell you where I found that. I have an old reference on my bookshelf. It is an Illinois Natural History Survey Bulletin from 1967, Hybridization of Four Species of Sunfishes (Centrarchidae) by William F. Childers. That is an old reference but it was a thorough review of the hybridization of sunfish. In the lab bluegill sperm and green sunfish eggs did produce viable eggs and fry, but in pond experiments male bluegill X female green sunfish hybrids did NOT produce any offspring (those were ponds with no other fish present), while in ponds with male green sunfish X female bluegill hybrids plenty of offspring were produced (unless largemouth bass were present, then there were few survivors).
That is where I came up with that information. Now this is biology/science and that reference is over 40 years old. I have not dove into the literature on sunfish reproduction/hybridization lately so I do not know what new information or additional information is out there. There maybe something more to that, maybe even something contradictory to that?
Anywho that is the $0.02-worth from this pointy-headed fish biologist.
Daryl B.
P.S. Please feel free to share this message with others if you wish."
