Gobies found in lower Fox River:The DNR last week confirmed the presence of round gobies immediately below the Neenah dam on the Fox River, the first evidence of the unwanted fish in that stretch of river.

The gobie is an aquatic invasive species first found in the Great Lakes region in the St. Clair River in 1990. It is now found in most nearshore waters of Green Bay and Lake Michigan.

Round gobies can survive in a range of water qualities and displace native fish by eating their eggs and young, taking over optimal habitat and spawning multiple times per season, according to the DNR.

“The gobies represent a real threat to the valuable native species in the Lake Winnebago system — home to a world-class walleye fishery, the largest self-sustaining population of lake sturgeon in North America, good populations of bass, yellow perch and other game and panfish species,” said Kendall Kamke, DNR Oshkosh fisheries team supervisor.

The DNR was alerted to the presence of the fish after anglers caught four gobies in the waterway above the series of locks and dams.

The agency is asking area anglers for additional help to determine if the species is present upstream of the Neenah and Menasha dams in Lake Winnebago. The DNR is coordinating efforts with the Fox River Navigational System Authority, which has closed the Menasha lock.

Round gobies are mottled gray and typically 3 to 6 inches in length. They have a single, scallop-shaped pelvic fin, a black spot on the front dorsal fin, frog-like raised eyes and thick lips.

Anglers who catch a goby in the Lake Winnebago system should kill it and, along with specific information about where and when it was caught, bring the fish to the DNR Oshkosh office, 625 E. County Road Y, Suite 700.

source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel