Why Eating Bluegill Can Be Part Of A Healthy Diet

My 10-year old and I went fishing together this weekend, and he started asking me if we could keep any bluegill we caught for eating.  Since there was a time in my life when I never gave the question of eating bluegill a second thought, the conversation got me started thinking about whether bluegill could be part of a healthy diet.  Not only that, but wondering how the nutritional profile of bluegill compares to something like the nutrition of tilapia, salmon, or even char fish, all of which are much more “popular” fish.

Eating Bluegill Fish

I’ve taken each of my boys fishing on different occasions, both together and separately.  While they have differing levels of interest in the activity, my 10-year old wanted to go out this weekend, so we grabbed our fishing poles and headed out the door.  He’s been begging to use an artificial lure, so with some trepidation, we made our way to a small local lake that’s relatively clear of trees, with plenty of room to cast.  Fortunately, there weren’t many other people out, so I was the only one in danger of being snagged by a stray hook.

While we were standing there casting (and me occasionally ducking), he started asking about whether I had ever eaten bluegill.  As a kid, eating bluegill wasn’t exactly a common occurrence for me, but yes – I have eaten bluegill, and other gamefish.  Although we’ve been fishing several times, as an adult I’ve leaned heavily toward the practice of “catch and release,” so my kids have never actually eaten bluegill.  As we stood there talking, I started wondering about the relative benefits of having bluegill in my diet.  Was bluegill a healthy fish, or not?  I had no idea.

Bluegill are a member of the sunfish family native to North America, and best known for their aggressive behavior during spawning, when males defending the nests will attack just about anything.  Throw their attitude together with their schooling behavior and fishing for bluegill can be hot and heavy.  Add in the fact that many consider bluegill to be among the best eating fish available, and a day at the lake has the potential to end with one of the best meals you can imagine.

But what about the relative health benefits of eating bluegill?  How does it stack up against your classic healthy fish?  There’s nothing in the USDA nutrient database on bluegill, but they do include nutrient information on broiled pumpkinseed, which is a close cousin to bluegill, with slightly different coloration.  I was able to find nutritional information at All Fishing, but they don’t say how the bluegill was prepared, so the USDA database is the definitive source.  Information on farmed Atlantic salmon (broiled) can be found here.

Comparing Nutrition of Bluegill vs Salmon

Although we didn’t catch anything, I’m guessing that eventually, we’re going to have a bluegill cookout .  Bluegill are a great eating fish, so despite the fact that it will be more work for me, that’s O.K.  It’s an oversight on my part that we haven’t done that yet.  I owe it to them to share that part of my childhood.