User:Elevanduski/InvSandbox

Round Goby

Invasive Species

Many native predatory fish such as smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, walleye, salmon, and trout have begun to prey on round gobies. The incorporation of the round goby into native foodwebs, coupled with the goby's ability to consume large numbers of invasive mussels (zebra and quagga), may result in greater bioaccumulation of toxins such as PCBs and Mercury higher in the food chain, since these mussels filter-feed and are known to accumulate persistent contaminants. Other pollutants such as Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), have been found to not be bioaccumulative in Round Goby. However, this is partly beneficial because even though they do not reduce the population of zebra mussels, they do control their population. Hence, it prevents a large-scale spread of the zebra mussel, which is also an invasive species in the Great Lakes. Another unintended benefit of the round goby's introduction is that the Lake Erie watersnake, once listed as a threatened species, has begun eating gobies. A recent study found the introduced fish now accounts for up to 90% of the snake's diet, and an increase in population size.