The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources wants anglers in Lake Winnebago to make sure they bring their smartphones or cameras with them on the water to help track an invasive species of fish.
Round gobies are grayish fish with frog-like eyes, no bigger than 5 or 6 inches.
DNR fishery biologist Kendall Kamke said although gobies are small, they pose a big threat to lakes in Wisconsin.
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“They compete and, in cases outcompete, the native fish species for both space and food resources. They are very aggressive, they are kind of a headache to anglers because they’re real bait stealers,” he said.
Kamke is calling for fishermen to use an online form on the DNR website to submit details if they accidentally catch a goby.
“Fishermen and anglers are our first line of defense against invasive species,” he said.
The form asks for information about the time the fish was caught, the general location, and it asks for a photo of the fish. Kamke said fishermen should take a picture of the fish’s stomach, where its most unique characteristic is.
“There are no other native fish that we would have in Lake Winnebago or the Great Lakes that have that fused single fin along the bottom,” he explained.
Four gobies were found in the Fox River near Neenah last week. The fish is native to the Caspian and Black seas.
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