|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
Marsden, J.E., and D.J. Jude, 1995. Round Gobies Invade North America, University of Vermont. Fact Sheet 65 (1995): 2 Pages A fact sheet produced by the Ohio Sea Grant College Program Round Gobies Invade North AmericaIn the last decade, considerable public and scientific attention has been focused on the zebra mussel, an aquatic invader in the Great Lakes. The zebra mussel actually is a recent addition in a long history of invaders, ranging from rainbow smelt, alewife, and lamprey to the recently introduced ruffe and spiny water flea. Now another foreign species has begun to spread throughout the inland waterways. The round goby (Neogobius melanostomus) was discovered in the St. Clair River, the channel connecting Lake Huron and Lake St. Clair, in 1990. This species comes from the same area of the world as the zebra mussel (around the Black and Caspian Seas). Presumably, they arrived the same way as zebra mussels: in ballast water discharged by transoceanic vessels. Although gobies belong to a family of fish with a worldwide distribution in both salt and freshwater, they had not been found in the Great Lakes prior to 1990. A second species, the tubenose goby (Proterorhinus marmoratus), also appeared in the St. Clair River in 1990; but this species, which is endangered in its native habitat, has remained uncommon. The more aggressive, robust round goby underwent a rapid dispersal and population expansion in the St. Clair River and Lake St. Clair. In 1993 it began to spread to other waterways, and the likelihood of its spreading to watersheds such as the Mississippi River drainage system has raised concerns over its potential effects on North American native species and ecosystems. Exotic species, such as the round goby, have destroyed and disrupted aquatic communities across the nation. The entry of another foreign invader to the already abused Great Lakes environment is an unwelcome addition to the plethora of other problems, including habitat destruction, overfishing, pollution, and loss of native species. Entire Paper |
