Where are they coming

from?

The Round Goby is native to the
Caspian and Black Seas in Europe.
In the Caspian and Black Seas
they were contained to the
freshwater regions of inflowing
water. The Goby was spread from
Europe in the shipping industry.
Large freight ships that would
enter the European Seas would
collect ballast water from those
bodies of water and transport that
water, along with the Goby, to
other bodies of water. The Goby
was first found in the St. Clair
River near Detroit, MI in the
1990s. Since then it has spread
throughout the entire Great Lakes
basin.


Exotic vs. Invasive

All invasive species are exotic, but
not all exotic species are invasive!
Learn the difference.

A species is invasive if it
damages or destroys an
established ecosystem. Some
even overrun areas and replace
native species.

An exotic species is one not
native, but also not necessarily
found in the wild. They may have
been brought intentionally or
introduced accidentally.

Exotic is related to the
distribution of a species by
escape or otherwise. A species
that is exotic in one area may not
be exotic to another.

An exotic species becomes
invasive when they settle and
reproduce based on the fact that
they have no natural enemies.

Round
Goby
by Andy Rietveld
The Birds of War

If a species is invasive, it tends to be

abrasive, we know they are not native,
so lets get cooperative...TODAY!

Why we should be
concerned

The Round Goby causes concern for
not only the economy and ecology of
the region but also a potential threat
for humans. The Round Goby feeds on
small muscles like the Zebra and
Quagga mussels. These muscles may
be carrying Botchalism. (Food
Poisoning). This could then spread to
Loons and other birds that may eat the
Round Goby. People who consume
some of these birds may then contract
the Botchalism themselves. Goby
affect the economy through the
fishing industry. They limit the
population of Sculpins and Darters.
These fish are fed on by Trout and
Walleye, both popular sport fish.

The figure above shows the Lake Erie Walleye
population from 1978-2004. It shows the
decrease in population since the Goby was
found in the waters in 1990.

Impact on local
organisms and
ecosystems

Fishery managers have found that
the Round Goby is more than
capable to compete with native
species. They have found
substantial reductions of the
Darter and Sculpin populations in
areas where Round Goby are
present. The Goby invasion has
affected the food chain of
popular sportfish such as Walleye
and Smallmouth Bass. Goby have
also been found to have a
predatorial threat to the
ecosystem. It has been observed
that the Round Goby will resort to
eating other small fish such as
Darters, along with the fry of
Trout.
What is being
done

Unfortunately the Round Goby is

already established in the Great
Lakes region. This means it will be
very difficult if not impossible to
remove this species. But with
awareness we can prevent further
spread of the species. Regulations
have been set on ballast water
exchange, the main threat of spread.
How you can help: There are few easy
things you can do to help prevent the
spread of Round Goby. If you find a
Goby do not take home for home
aquarium or pet. Do not put the
Goby into any other body of water
other than the one you removed it
from. If you use Goby for bait,
remove them from your bait buckets
or livewell before moving into a new
body of water.