When small BG do eat plankton/plant material as food. Most studies on BG stomach contents reveal various plant matter. Whether they eat it as food or by accident is a good question.

From - Bluegills Biology and Behavior - Spotte. Chapter 3 Foraging p 33 - " Bluegills also eat plants. Stomachs of specimens caught in Illinois had 24% plant material by volume, Wisconsin fish (mostly adults) held 20% , a sample from Minnesota yielded 16% , and some bluegills from Ontario contained 26%. Algae constituted 50% of the stomach contents of 42 Mississippi bluegills , but whether algae alone can meet metabolic requirements is questionable. Of 81 specimens averaging 128 mm FL (94-175mm FL) caught by angling in Wyland Lake Indiana , 29 had consumed algae or dead aquatic macrophytes."

Last edited by ewest; 06/30/09 08:15 PM.