Thanks Eric - appreciate the enlightenment and I understand your take on this. Looking at fecundity alone does not provide enough information to determine role that fish will play in the ecosystem of the pond. That's what was tripping us up.

FYI AP - the source Eric provides says:

BG: 80k annual [could be over a few spawns?]
RES: See Eric above - 15-30k
PS: 1-2k

My summary -
1. Estimating fecundity isn't easy and "depends" on many different factors [density of population, available forage, water quality, etc.] as I've seen these numbers swing significantly in both directions for each species.
2. Criteria for choosing a suitable companion sunfish for SMB or other limited gape predators [YP, HSB] should be based on more than fecundity.
3. Of the sunfish species considered pond worthy [attain harvestable size, provide angling opportunities, etc.] it seems only the RES has never reportedly overpopulated and experienced stunting which makes them a suitable choice in certain situations - such as BOWs where predators have a limited gape.

What do you think?

Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after. ~ Henry David Thoreau

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