Patterns of movement of centrarchids in two warmwater streams in eastern Tennessee

We studied the movements of redbreast sunfish ( Lepomis auritus ), bluegill ( Lepomis macrochirus ), rock bass ( Ambloplites rupestris ), largemouth brass ( Micropterus salmoides ), and warmouth ( Lepomis gulosus ) by tagging fishes with individually numbered tags. We sampled quarterly over a 3‐year period (1985–1988) at six 800‐ to 2300‐m‐long sites in 2 streams near Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Overall, distances between successive captures were < 100 m for approximately two‐thirds of all fishes. Only rarely did we document movements over long distances; distances of 17.0‐17.6 km between successive captures were obtained for 5 fishes (1 redbreast sunfish, 1 largemouth bass and 3 bluegill), and only one other fish moved > 10 km. In general, all species were highly sedentary in both streams, with rock bass and redbreast sunfish being the most sedentary and bluegill and largemouth bass being the least. In most instances, redbreast sunfish showed the same distribution of distances between captures regardless of the interval between captures (1 week, 3 months, 6 months or more). This species also tended to be more mobile in the spring and less mobile in the winter, with large fish exibiting the greatest distances between captures. Some redbreast sunfish showed a very restricted home range, being captured 3 or more times over ≥ 6 months in the same 50‐m section of stream. A few individuals moved 4‐9 km only to return to their original location, but most fish exhibited behaviors intermediate between these extremes. For all species, upstream and downstream movements were equally common, although movements in one direction predominated at some sites for limited periods of time. Knowledge of movement patterns and differences in behavior among species is important not only in understanding the basic ecology of the species but also in designing, conducting and interpreting environmental monitoring studies.