Are Bluegills Dangerous? Stop the Misinformation

According to false Facebook posts: The Bluegill fish is one of the most dangerous fish in North America. The Bluegill is related to the deadly piranha, which causes 20,000 deaths per year. When bluegills are feeding in schools, they can completely dismantle a human body in less than 15 minutes.

Maybe you’ve heard the rumor going around that bluegills cause more than 500 human deaths per year. You might have seen the Facebook post stating that a school of bluegills can dismantle a human body in less than 15 minutes. It’s been widely shared all over the web. But is there any truth to it? Is the bluegill a dangerous fish? A viral Facebook post went around last year claiming they were some of the most dangerous fish in America. If you’re into fishing, you might be concerned. Do you need to avoid this hazard when you’re out fishing? And where did the rumor come from, anyway?! Let’s examine the truth behind this rumor and determine whether bluegills are dangerous!

Is The Bluegill Fish Dangerous?

Bluegills are one of the most common types of gamefish. This freshwater fish is found in water all over North America, from Mexico up to Canada. You’ll likely find bluegills in a pond, lake, or stream near you. But recently, posts have been going around on Facebook, stating that bluegills are related to piranhas and just as deadly. So, what’s the truth behind the story? Well, you’ll be glad to hear that there’s no evidence whatsoever that bluegills have ever caused a human death. Bluegills are a type of sunfish and are also referred to as blue sunfish, copperbellies, copperheads, and bream. There’s no relation or link between the bluegill and the piranha. The only thing these two species have in common is that they’re freshwater fish but have very different habitats. The piranha’s natural habitat is in the rivers and basins of South America. Bluegills can be found all over Northern America – but there’s no overlap with piranhas. Even the world record bluegill is quite a small fish, growing to about 12 inches. Rather than being a predator, bluegills are prey to everything from trout and muskies to herons, turtles, and otters. And to reassure you, a bluegill’s spikes on the dorsal fins are not poisonous, either! While some fish may have toxins in their spikes, this isn’t true for bluegill. Bluegills are one of the most common types of fish for fly fishers and anglers to target. There’s no reason to think that bluegill fish are a hazard. If you try it, you’ll discover that fishing for bluegill is excellent fun! When you hook one, these spirited little fish can put up a mean fight. (They taste good, too!) 

What Do Bluegills Bite?

Now we know that bluegills do not eat or kill humans and are not known to bite the human body. The bluegills’ teeth are tiny. Even if bluegills tried to bite humans, they would struggle to break the skin’s surface. So people have nothing to fear from the harmless bluegill. That goes to show how little bluegills have in common with piranha. They are very different (and less threatening!). So, what do they eat? Bluegills mainly live off a diet of worms, crustaceans, smaller fish, and insect larvae. The bluegill is partial to caddisflies, dragonflies, and mayflies and will pick them off the top of the surface. They will also eat them in larvae form, lower down in the river, or along the bottom. Bluegills are omnivores, so underwater vegetation is also a food source for the bluegill species.

What Eats Bluegill?

We’re much more likely to kill and eat bluegill than the other way around! Many people enjoy fishing for this species, as they are boisterous and put up a lively fight, making it into a great game. The bluegill fish is a tasty food, too, especially when caught fresh and pan-fried. Kids often start learning to fish by catching this abundant little sunfish before moving on to game fish like trout or bass. Bluegill isn’t just threatened by people, however. As they are so defenseless, many species of fish, birds, and animals like to snack on bluegill. Larger gamefish will happily kill and eat bluegill. But they are also prey to birds, including herons and kingfishers. Land animals like raccoons and otters count bluegill as a good food source.

Who started the rumor that bluegill is dangerous?

So, we know the rumor about bluegills being deadly isn’t true! But where did it come from in the first place? Every angler worth their salt will be able to tell you that bluegill doesn’t bite or kill humans. It seems that this post was first shared by Southern Catfishing in 2018. The post says that the snippet of info was taken from Ohio Fish News and originally published in 1987. But if you dig a little deeper, you’ll soon find that there is no such newspaper or magazine called the Ohio Fish News. [1] The page that shared this weird meme, Southern Catfishing, seems to have shared it ironically as a bit of a laugh – but some people took it as factual. If anyone who’s not an angler came across this post, they might have thought it was literal and not tongue-in-cheek. This led to a crazy spike in people searching for answers about the danger of these harmless fish.

Are Piranhas Dangerous?

The quick answer is that, yes, piranhas are dangerous. They have sharp, powerful teeth that can give a nasty bite. But there’s more to it than that because piranhas are pretty lazy! More often than not, piranhas will scavenge meat from dead creatures in the water than attack an animal or human. [2] If you ended up in the water with piranhas, they would be more likely to see you as a danger than as a source of food for them. That’s because piranhas aren’t designed to eat people – we’re not their natural prey. However, if they feel threatened, they may attack in self-defense, so piranhas are still a real hazard to humans.

Are Bluegills Dangerous? FAQ

If you’ve got questions about bluegill, here’s where you’ll find the answers!

Do bluegills eat people?

No, bluegills do not eat people; you’ll be glad to know. Bluegill fish prefer to eat insects, small fish, and crustaceans. There is no evidence that a bluegill fish has ever bitten a human or attacked anyone. People have nothing to worry about from bluegill, even if you see a school of them in the water.

What is the most dangerous fish?

According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, one of the most dangerous fish in the world is the pufferfish. They are venomous creatures that are highly toxic to humans. The other most hazardous fish species include the lionfish, which can cause nasty wounds from their deadly fin spines, the candiru, and the great white shark. [3] The piranha is in the top 10 most dangerous fish, too. It’s well-known that a school of freshwater piranha can strip a human body of flesh in seconds. So there you have it. There’s no truth behind the Facebook memes that keep popping up, trying to convince people that the harmless bluegill is a deadly creature. Piranhas and bluegills are unrelated; they live on different continents and belong to distinct families. Bluegills won’t bite you, but they will put up a fight if you catch them! That’s why fly fishing for bluegills is such good fun. So get out, catch yourself a bluegill, and fry some dinner!

The Wrap Up

So there you have it. There’s no truth behind the Facebook memes that keep popping up, trying to convince people that the harmless bluegill is a deadly creature. You have no reason to worry about bluegills. They are not harmful to humans and would not attack or bite you. Piranhas and bluegills are unrelated, living on different continents and belonging to different families of fish. Bluegills won’t bite you, but they will put up a fight if you catch them! That’s why fly fishing for bluegills is such good fun. So get out there, see yourself bluegill, and fry some dinner! For more articles about fishing, visit Fly Fisher Pro. Feel free to share this article if you find it helpful!

References

[1] https://www.facebook.com/OHFRBLFGA/photos/a.698870523486511/2798912180148991/?type=3&theater [2] https://www.livescience.com/57963-piranha-facts.html [3] https://www.britannica.com/list/10-of-the-worlds-most-dangerous-fish