Anglers Shouldn't Fear Round Gobies
Ann Arbor, MI — After an army of round gobies invaded the Great Lakes basin in 1990, concerns arose that anglers were catching fewer sport fish because round gobies competed aggressively with some sport fish for bait and lures. However, data to support those concerns were not found by a recent study.
A recent scientific study on the upper Niagara River found that anglers who caught more round gobies generally did not catch fewer smallmouth bass. Yet, anglers felt that catching round gobies reduced their likelihood of catching smallmouth bass because baited hooks and lures were not in the water when round gobies were handled.
"It appears that concerns about the effect of round gobies on sport fishing may have been based on perception and not reality," said Dennis Dunning, a fishery biologist who conducted the study.
Original Publication Information
Results of this study "Association between the Catches of Round Gobies and Smallmouth Bass on the Upper Niagara River," are reported by Dennis J. Dunning, Quentin E. Ross, E. Terry Euston and Susan A. Haney in the latest issue (Volume 32, No. 4, pp. 672-679) of the Journal of Great Lakes Research, published by the International Association for Great Lakes Research, 2006.
Contacts
For more information about the study, contact Dr. Dennis Dunning, New York Power Authority, 123 Main Street, White Plains, NY 10601; dennis.dunning@nypa.gov; (914) 681-3401.
For information about the Journal of Great Lakes Research, contact Marlene Evans, Editor, National Water Research Institute, 11 Innovation Boulevard, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 3H5, Canada; editor@iaglr.org; (608) 692-1076.
Links
Since 1967, IAGLR has served as the focal point for compiling and disseminating multidisciplinary knowledge on North America's Laurentian Great Lakes and other large lakes of the world and their watersheds. In part, IAGLR communicates this knowledge through publication of the Journal of Great Lakes Research, available to members in print and electronic form. A searchable archive of the journal is available online and includes the abstracts of articles from the journal's inception in 1975 through the most recent issue. In addition, complete articles are available to members who have signed up for an electronic subscription.