Could Wetlands Provide Refuge For Native Fish?

Ann Arbor, MI — The exotic round goby appears to prefer lake habitats rather than coastal wetlands. Since the round goby began invading the Great Lakes in 1990, scientists and anglers have become concerned about its effects on native fish species.

Though round gobies have become quite abundant in many areas around the Great Lakes, little is known about whether this new invader will push native species out of coastal wetlands, which are important spawning and nursery habitats for native species.

"Wetlands found along the Great Lakes shoreline are incredibly important for maintaining Great Lakes fish populations," says Matthew Cooper, a researcher at the Annis Water Resources Institute of Grand Valley State University. "If round gobies don't like to live in wetlands, then native fish that inhabit these areas will have a leg up on this particular invasive species."

Round gobies can negatively affect native species such as johnny darters, mottled sculpins, and logperch by competing for food and space. Therefore, the spread of round gobies around the Great Lakes could mean big trouble for native species. However, Cooper and colleagues from Grand Valley and Michigan State Universities found fewer round gobies in wetland habitats compared to lake habitats along the Lake Michigan shoreline. This could mean a measure of safety for native wetland fish.

Original Publication Information

Results of this study, "Distribution of Round Gobies in Coastal Areas of Lake Michigan: Are Wetlands Resistant to Invasion?," are reported by Matthew J. Cooper, Carl R. Ruetz III, Donald G. Uzarski and Thomas M. Burton in the latest issue (Volume 33, No. 2, pp. 303-313) of the Journal of Great Lakes Research, published by the International Association for Great Lakes Research, 2007.

Contacts

For more information about the study, contact Matthew Cooper, Annis Water Resources Institute, Grand Valley State University, Muskegon, MI 49441; coopmat@gvsu.edu, (616) 331-8790.

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.