Did THIS FISH Ruin the Great Lakes? (Story of the Round Goby)

The Round Goby is an invasive species that has quickly taken over the Great Lakes. How did they get here and are they really that big of a problem?
Joining us today is Dr. John Lyons, Curator of Fishes at the UW Zoological Museum. Since we are fishing with John and collecting some gobies for scientific purposes we have the permits to hold these fish in a temporary tank. If you catch a Round Goby in Lake Michigan DO NOT transport it away from the lake alive. You may keep one dead specimen to take to a local DNR office if you need an identification.
To learn more about invasive Round Gobies check out this link: www.seagrant.wisc.edu/our-wor...
#Fish #Milwaukee #LakeMichigan
Thanks to Bri and Ryan for joining me as well!

[@BadgerlandFishes]

For those of you commenting on killing Round Gobies, and why it's not emphasized in this video when catching them in Lake Michigan, here is some more information on current practices scientists are using to stop the spread of Round Gobies. "Management of Round Goby The eradication of round goby from the Great Lakes is impossible, but preventative and early detection methods could lead to successful eradication efforts on a small scale. Bait trade and boating laws in the Great Lake states and Ontario make possession of the species prohibited. Continued improvements to ballast water regulations concerning both no-ballast-on-board ships and ballast water exchange can also help prevent further introduction into the Great Lakes (Duggan et al. 2005). " www.michigan.gov/documents/invasives/egle-ais-neogobius-melanostomus_708946_7.pdf

[@blauer2551]

Wouldn’t think killing them could hurt.

[@TeamCAC]

I’ve actually caught a odd fish outa the Columbia river and I’ve been led down to the idea that it might be a round goby but I don’t think that they are there and I’ve never heard of invasive gobies

[@timphan8395]

Can we keep goby for consumption?

[@theastuteangler]

Yeah, our law in Ontario is that you have to kill them, you cannot release it back into the lake. There's just no way we can hook-and-line every last goby out of the Great Lakes. They're here to stay. At least the smallies like 'em.

[@bmanrules2954]

I caught like 6 gobies in Lake Michigan so I fed em to the seagulls

[@BadgerlandFishes]

Interesting.

[@tylerjourdan358]

Yep. Me too. Perch also like the tails

[@rhabdob3895]

I blame the zebra mussels

[@BadgerlandFishes]

Haha, that's fair.

[@FullClipmusicc]

that face when he dropped the goby on the floor he gave a face like i hope no one comments about that

[@BadgerlandFishes]

Lol they’re slippery

[@luukv3119]

Here in The Netherlands they are an invasive species, and took a hold of most large rivers and canals in the country. It has become hard to catch any other species as the Round Goby is an incredible aggressive fish that even bites in empty hooks. They also attacked my plugs and spinners on multiple occasions with many at a time. It almost reminded me of piranhas at times. Anyways, thanks for uploading! It was a nice insight about the state of the Great Lakes in America but it saddens me to see that this fish is not only a problem here in Europe. Greetings to all!

[@BadgerlandFishes]

Sorry to hear that about the invasion in the Netherlands. Glad you enjoyed the video! We’re worried about the Asian Carp moving into the Great Lakes at the moment. So many non-natives have taken over and are being stocked. It’s an insane system.

[@madtownangler]

The last time I fished Lake Michigan in Milwaukee Harbor every time a nightcrawler hit the bottom I had a goby. I caught one hundred of them and have never bottom fished Lake Michigan ever again.

[@joshuac.6437]

Man that fuckin sucks... I wouldn't wanna fish there either

[@BassManStrikes]

Nice job on the video :-) I hadn't realized you published a new one.

[@BadgerlandFishes]

Thank you!

[@BassManStrikes]

The DNR should plant smallmouth in numbers they love them and it would make a awesome smallmouth fishery. We already have them as they come out of the Milwaukee river but the numbers in the lake are not that great.

[@BadgerlandFishes]

Yeah, I wish there was more of a focus on native species as opposed to nonnative salmon and trout, but I know the trout/salmon fishery is treasured by some.

[@Kayceesoutdoorliving]

Lake erie is LOADED with massive smallmouth. Its not uncommon to hear of people catching 25 to 50, 3 to 5 pound smallmouth bass. Theres also a ton of gobies.

[@user-fl6nr7et8l]

@CB.PUNISHER.1900 striped bass would also destroy the lake

[@ericresh3268]

@@BadgerlandFishes I just stumbled on this video 3 years later but recent the DNR has gone on record that they expect the next state record small mouth bass to come out of lake Michigan because of the Gobies. Brown Trout love them too.

[@cooperniess2158]

Hey I watched this video because I've been catching a lot of these fish and I am now subscribed because it was great

[@BadgerlandFishes]

Glad you enjoyed it and thanks for subscribing!

[@stick9758]

This video solved a 10 year question I had. I fought a goby out of the Menominee river on badwater lake. I thought it was some kind of catfish because I had never seen one and I’d been fishing there forever!!! Thanks

[@BadgerlandFishes]

You’re welcome!

[@harooncaptures9826]

Throw it back? In Lake Ontario when we catch em we throw in the grass and let em die. There destroying are lake

[@BassManStrikes]

The only problem with that is it's illegal to throw fish on the shore. It's technically littering and many areas have regulations against doing so invasive species or not.

[@BadgerlandFishes]

Yeah, as BassMan said it's a complicated topic. Originally, the law was that they wanted you to kill them immediately. After they became established they're mostly focused on preventing them from spreading to other water bodies.

[@BassManStrikes]

@@BadgerlandFishes yep there are probably billions of them now so how would tossing a few on the grass accomplish anything except smelly grass 🤣

[@jjvirella5754]

The seagulls love them

[@tyler97511]

They are awful here in the trent river to and we do the same and ill tell you one thing for free not tossing the ones I catch back is a hell of a lot better than them going back in the water way also im 99.9% sure we can get fined in Ontario for throwing them back

[@trowwzers5057]

I caught my first goby today in the Huron River. I was fishing in the rocks for rockbass and bluegill

[@GeoFishing]

Cool video. Great food for many thriving Lake Michigan species

[@sgt.puddingslaps]

If you ever catch one of these DO NOT release them back into the lake/river. Kill them or use them as bait.

[@BadgerlandFishes]

It’s illegal to use a live around Goby as bait. They’re established in Lake Michigan. If you catch one outside of the lake you should report it.

[@optimusprime7412]

I use to fry them up like Smelt. They taste great amdbare the EASIEST fish to ever catch, easier then even Bluegills. I use to use Corn, old chewed out bubble gum, wax worms. Pretty much anything and it worked every time. Not to forget the can grow up 10" long in the Chicago Lake Michigan area.

[@tomglunt7483]

I live Lake Erie and yes it is true that due to the Lake Erie water snake eating the round goby, it is no longer on the endangered species list. We have always heard that a great deal of Lake Erie's cleaning process, came from the zebra muscles, another invasive species. The cleaner water, increased our perch and walleye population. Recently, the amount of perch that a fisherman can take per day, has been decreased. A few years ago, I was at East Harbor State Park and spoke with a few fisherman. They commented that in the Sandusky Bay, they catch more small mouth bass, than perch or walleye. They attributed this to a dirtier lake, because the round goby is eating the zebra muscle. Their opinion was that dirty water was a better ecosystem for small mouth than perch and walleye. I don't know if this is true. My question is that if the food chain/web is zebra muscle

[@rickjones2912]

I’ve seen a huge rise in Freshwater Drum which I believe have benefitted both from zebra mussels and gobies. They have the benefit of laying eggs which suspend in the water column which is advantageous to protecting their young from predating gobies. They spend a lot of their time foraging the bottom as well so definitely we’ll suited for these invasive species. It’s not an ideal situation for most native species but hopefully it will lead us towards a more balanced ecosystem.

[@teklife]

nice, freshwater drum seem like such an interesting species. i'm from long island new york, and we have no such thing here, as far as i know, but they look so much like their saltwater cousins, i wonder if they're tasty also. in time we might see the invasive mussels create a complementary ecosystem and fishery. seems to already be showing some benefits. i would think that filter feeders like the mussels, which, while removing huge quantities of biomass and nutrients from the water, also store that in their bodies and create protein very efficiently, meanwhile creating clearer waters for aquatic plants to grow at deeper depths which is great structure for ecosystems, as well as creating reefs, which have similar benefits. so for a long time i was so depressed about the invasive mussels as i was led to believe they're only causing massive harm and they're no good at all and are massively harming and destroying the great lakes, but it seems like that might be overzealous anti-invasives propaganda. the salmon are also invasives, but have been responsible for most of the economy of the great lakes, at least fishing/gamefish wise.

[@latlelat4200]

I just caught a bunch of these in the clinton river. I just started fishing last summer so I had no Idea what they were, but I did think they were pretty funny lookin. I'm glad I know now cuz it took me awhile to find them on Google

[@BadgerlandFishes]

Glad you figured out what they were!

[@YaBo1Jack]

Hey i live in wisconsin and love fishing this vid was great, maybe for studying different species possibly see how other species to using a goby as bait

[@Darrionwillyb]

I live off of lake st clair and the goby’s make for some MASSIVE small mouth and freshwater drum.

[@bryanjones14]

I love in Muskegon Michigan, avid fishermen ! ..... Our walleyes have figured out how to eat them 😂 .... I've caught perch with them in there belly also

[@BadgerlandFishes]

That's great!

[@alexbadillo9940]

I was wondering why would you throw them back If there are a invasive species?

[@BadgerlandFishes]

That's a great question. Originally that was the rule, when they weren't as established yet. If you caught one they wanted you to kill it immediately. Now that they're so abundant the main focus is to stop them from spreading.

[@TinyMexicanZ]

I still kill them on sight

[@jokervbatman5023]

@@BadgerlandFishes they still want you to kill it on sight?And why cant i use gobie as bait?

[@itlahic566]

@@jokervbatman5023 It gets the fish sick, the goby eats muscles and snails that will infect the fish and kill it or taint the meat for whatever poor bass eats a goby.

[@reidsimonson]

@@itlahic566 lol, tell that to every small mouth, walleye, and whitefish that has them as a primary food source for the last 10 years.

[@dougreynolds2813]

the lake trout wyee caught from Lake Huron looked like middle aged beer drinkers, boy those fish had fat bellies. they have become a food source for most everything, i set minnow traps above a dam on a very small creek; and have caught a multitude of the things both brown and round, i hope the raccoons liked them. what's worse, the zebra muscles or the gobies; i'm thinking the zebras, i hate them but on the other hand i like seeing the bottom in 40 foot of water.

[@AllMedia13]

I seen these in the Beer Garden in Milwaukee, Wisconsin pooled up in the River that I am assuming feeds into the Great Lakes.

[@Tinystrom]

I think they actually made the fisheries on the Great Lakes much better. Bigger fish and much more plentiful. I think the numerous invasive mussel species are probably much worse.

[@crinkly.love-stick]

I caught one of these yesterday, in a spawning stream off Georgian Bay (the Siamese twin stuck to Lake Huron) I was having a reel malfunction, and I forgot to pull my lure out. I guess the fish must've been sitting on top of my lure, because when I pulled out, I snagged it by the belly. Its actually a really interesting fish, but they're still kill on sight, as far as I'm concerned

[@blacklightfreakout825]

I caught two of them things at Monstrose Harbor in Chicago today.

[@MaxOrDieYT]

I caught one on a river in the U.P. far inland from Lake Superior, this was like 6 years ago too...

[@dankoch5357]

THROW IT BACK??? I've always been instructed to leave the Fers on the pier to die.

[@BadgerlandFishes]

Different places probably have different regulations but they’re well established in the Great Lakes

[@nicksb3]

Would love to learn more about the baitfish of Wisconsin - spawning, behavior etc. Thinking about native shad populations, shiner, other minnows. Not a lot of information out there that I could find

[@BadgerlandFishes]

Awesome! We've already done a video on Gizzard Shad, but we'll definitely be doing more with smaller fish species in the future! kzbin.info/www/bejne/oGrCnHypa9Rse5Y

[@nicksb3]

@@BadgerlandFishes just watched that and the goby vid - great stuff. I'm more curious about "inland" species i.e. not the great lakes as they're so very different

[@BadgerlandFishes]

@@nicksb3 Definitely! I currently have one video about the Mukwonago River that talks about Bowfin, Logperch, and stuff like that. More to come! kzbin.info/www/bejne/poaZZGR6pJmDjbM

[@Herbie-outdoor-fishing]

Last time when I was fishing in the Minnesota river then one of my favorite should me this weird fish, then I looked carefully then I realized that was a round goby

[@nervenqual]

We have the same problems with that invasive species here in our bigger rivers in Germany.

[@BadgerlandFishes]

That is unfortunate :(

[@nicostutzi9413]

Yea, but the good thing is they are realy good zander bait. I think you guys call them pikeperch

[@reidsimonson]

You do not have to immediately release a goby back into the water. As a rough fish and invasive you can kill that fish and leave it on the ground. There are no limits and I don't think it applies to Wisconsin currently but I believe in the past and in other states releasing an invasive back into the water was against the law.

[@BadgerlandFishes]

They're not "rough fish", and it used to be that they wanted everyone to kill them when they were trying to stop them from taking over the Great Lakes. Now that they're established, it's more about preventing them from moving to other locations.

[@reidsimonson]

@@BadgerlandFishes They are still considered a "rough fish" in the sense that there are no limits on how many you can keep. They are still a foreign invasive though.

[@crinkly.love-stick]

@@BadgerlandFishes as far as I've been told, they're still a kill on sight fish in Ontario. Obviously, laws can be different from country to country, but I don't understand why you'd want to live release them? It's not like they've stopped eating native fish eggs, and the damage they cause will just keep getting worse.

[@BadgerlandFishes]

@@crinkly.love-stick I'm sure regulations vary from place to place. It's just too far gone in Lake Michigan to make a difference at this point.

[@westsidedavie]

I caught my first one a week ago in the black River off lake Erie. I was like wtf is this !? Caught him in shallow ,rocky water with a nightcrawler.then went on to catch a large mouth lol

[@davidjdailey]

In Ontario, it's illegal to release a live one into the water. You are promoting it in Wisconsin.

[@RestlessFisherman]

Pretty crazy how the guy fishing is supposedly an expert from a university too. Dude said he's been watching the invasion since the 90s....he probably didn't do jack about it then either. I quickly dispatch gobies here in IL.

[@walleyperch]

The fish in our Lake Simcoe are gorging on these and getting huge.

[@user-jn9gv9ve6e]

i fish in the kalamazoo river and sometimes i have to move from my spot because it's all i get are gobies and they keep taking my night crawlers.

[@BassManStrikes]

Smallmouth bass candy in our area :-)

[@BadgerlandFishes]

Haha, true

[@iloveyouguys3070]

When I catch round gobis. I have fun with destroying them. I bash in their heads, I twist till their spine cracks, I rip them in half and I slice them open and use them as bait

[@cameronkedas3375]

People say that gobies ruin the Great Lakes which in ways is true but they do eat invasive zebra mussels and make good cut bait (which I do cast right back into the water in my area since it’s advised to throw it back to where you caught it and not transported to other locations). I caught two round gobies at the spot where I fish and they looked small enough than the others I’ve caught there. They’re in an aquarium with an 8 1/2 inch bluegill.* *I catch them from the shore in Lake Erie and when I catch some that I don’t cut for bait or take home I throw them right back where I catch them.

[@tieoneon1614]

Its actually the reason why the walleye population in Green Bay has exploded. Its another food source for them, and turning into their main one. Freshwater Drum have made a huge impact on the zebra mussels, the water is turning back into its original stained color. And the perch have bounced back bigtime, and now in super shallow water eating the invasive blood red freshwater shrimp. I remember 20 years ago being so worried that my great resource here was going to be destroyed, but the ecosystem adapted. The only thing i dont fish for here is crappie!

[@BadgerlandFishes]

Glad to hear things are turning around in GB!

[@reidsimonson]

Its amazing that so many people have missed what has happened with the Whitefish populations. Suppose most want to keep that a secret as the fishing has been unbelievably incredible.

[@crinkly.love-stick]

@@reidsimonson what's happened to whitefish? They only really show up around me when there's a foot of ice, and I'm not a fan of ice fishing. They've decimated our smallmouths, but there seems to be more rainbow, browns, and brookies than I ever remember

[@reidsimonson]

@@crinkly.love-stick populations have exploded.

[@teklife]

wow this is amazing to hear! i've posted 2 other responses on this video somewhat in defense of these invasives which we've been led to believe are essentially a death sentence for the great lakes. not saying displacing the native species is a good thing, and it's sad that it's hard to catch any old timey gamefish in places where asian carp have taken hold, but really glad to see that with this abundance of invasives biomass, some of these bigger predators would have to start gulping them down eventually, or die of starvation while there's baitfish swimming all over their face, which seems totally strange. i would love to catch a freshwater drum someday. too bad the lakes appearance is back to murky. there's a lake in new york which was helped a lot by zebra mussels. new york's largest lake entirely within its borders, oneida lake. once a pea soup looking, large but shallow and nutrient rich lake, the zebra mussels have helped clear up the lake and helped the aquatic grasses and have had little impact on the very nutrient rich waters.

[@colbyturner9573]

Omg I've caught so many of these in Toronto! I usually catch em hook them up and use them to fish for bigger fish.

[@colbyturner9573]

@@orasis yea well I didn't know they we were supposed to kill them until after we left. Now we go back and try to catch them... lmao I'm sure I've destroyed some kids innocence by decapitating these fish

[@orasis]

@@colbyturner9573 😂 ...

[@jokervbatman5023]

I thought you couldnt use gobie as bait in canada?

[@orasis]

@@jokervbatman5023 You can't.

[@jokervbatman5023]

@@orasis what about dead gobie? And its retarded there established in our canada waters

[@karnage7874]

This fish feeds smallies, did a great service to keep them fed.

[@BadgerlandFishes]

They are a nice food source for other species. 👍

[@PD-we8vf]

What is that interesting sailing ship behind y’all?

[@teklife]

yea that thing is an amazing sailboat

[@matof1428]

We have the same problem with this invasive species here in Europe, on the river Danube. Cargo ships from the Black Sea carry this fish in ballast tanks, across the Rhine-Main-Danube canal. I'm surprised how this fish made it to reach the Great Lakes...

[@BadgerlandFishes]

Yeah! Items pretty crazy. If I remember correctly the ones living in fresh water don’t normally live as long or get as big as those in salt water.

[@matof1428]

I don't know details about biology of these species. I just learned about "Goby fish problem" from Jeremy Wade's "Mighty Rivers" series. The Danube has been artificially modified for better navigation over the centuries. It has lost its meanders and seasonal floods, and in many places the banks are reinforced with a layer of rocks and gravel. And that's where the Goby found their new habitat.🤔👍

[@garioldwin]

Those gobies eat fish eggs and small fish. People dont understand how bad effect has this fish on other native species.

[@BadgerlandFishes]

@@garioldwin That's true.

[@BassManStrikes]

I shared this video on Reddit for you, so you might get more views than normal :-)

[@BadgerlandFishes]

Thanks, man! I really appreciate it.

[@BassManStrikes]

I shared it on the two facebook groups i admin as well, check them out if you like Black bass central People Holding fish

[@darrenhall7990]

I need the dimensions of the body, fins, mouth, and etc. I am having a 3.5" goby mold made soon. It'll be cut from CNC aluminum with 6 cavities. Their are other goby molds on the market, however I want the most realistic molds possible. Smallies love them!

[@crinkly.love-stick]

I've never made a fish mould before, but I've made worm and egg moulds. What if you catch a goby and just slap it into plaster of Paris? I like the idea you've got here, but colouring might be difficult

[@darrenhall7990]

@@crinkly.love-stick no gobies in California. The color is no problem. I'll shoot a base and I have special paint made for plastisol. I'll just airbrush it. I have a swimbait project that I'm about to wrap up. After that I'm going to get with my designer for a 6 cavity Goby mold

[@mattmiller9718]

Gobys make a great small mouth and walleye bait

[@joeyavicoli8132]

Make for a good food source for walleye

[@BadgerlandFishes]

True.

[@1999tenorio]

They turned Erie into the premiere Smallmouth fishery up here

[@Kayceesoutdoorliving]

Absolute giants. In erie, the smallies are insane.

[@user-fl6nr7et8l]

Erie has always been a premiere smallmouth fishery...

[@1999tenorio]

@@user-fl6nr7et8l not like it is now.

[@Shrock568]

What were the birds on the water?

[@musicalADD_theband]

Why do you have to throw them back immediately? Wouldn’t you want to kill it if it’s invasive?

[@loongzai8132]

So these are invasive types and people still have to throw them into the water?

[@uwijsmssmsms9925]

Seems like they could be good for the forage of the lake with the alewives seemingly going the way of the smelt

[@BadgerlandFishes]

They are a good food source for some native fish.

[@zacherykissoon]

In Canada we are told to throw them away. There has been a massive decline in other fish and an invasion of these.

[@michaelhatfield3430]

We throw them them to the Seagulls here in Chicago when we fish Lake Michigan

[@andrerothweiler9191]

As Ukrainian we actually eat them.

[@walleyperch]

In our lake the fish, perch, whitefish and lakers are gorging on these and getting huge...

[@KoreaMojo]

They say the same in the Detroit River in the states. I couldn't believe he was putting them back. I wouldn't want to kill them but if a bird wanted them, cool. They hurt our natural species. I found this video looking to see if people keep them as pets after they catch them.

[@teklife]

has there been any successful program to help the native species the gobys have replaced?

[@BadgerlandFishes]

I think the most successful thing is that some adult native species feed on the gobies, but that’s not necessarily a program or anything.

[@coldandaloof7166]

The big problem with the Goby is that theu steal your bait whwn perch fishong in Lake Erie. I loose more worms to those things than anything else.

[@shaundiltz5821]

Should throw more Red Ear in there, they eat the zebra's well and grow big

[@owenkedas5022]

I have a pet round goby that I caught when I was fishing for them to use as bait for catfish in Lake Erie. The one I caught is at least 2 inches. I know they're invasive, but I like goby for multiple reasons: -good bait for catfish and drum -social, energetic, playful, have character, and very entertaining -can be very pretty fish when they show their colors I don't like round goby for these reasons: -kill young/eggs of native fish -can be annoying -they can shred your bait with their tiny but sharp teeth and go out of bait in under 10 minutes. Yesterday I was being dumb with my fish. I have an aquarium with 3 young bluegill, a white perch, a bumblebee pleco, a spotted pictus catfish, and of course my round goby. My dad had an Oscar when he was a kid and would put a hook in the water and the fish would bite it and then realize that it was fake and spit it out. I tied some fishing line to a hook and bobbed it up and down. The goby started getting interested and went to bite it but missed. He started to swim back down WHEN HE SWAM RIGHT ON THE HOOK! It was my first reaction to set the hook because that's what I do when I fish and I hooked him in the side right by his gill plate. He went crazy and swam all over ad jumped out of the water and got off (thankfully). When he got back down I noticed he started bleeding and blood was gushing out of his wound because it as right by his gills. Despite all the blood he lost he lived. Oh yeah I forgot to mention I like how gentle you are with them. Like you, I also love fish of all species. I usually release fish the way you did in many o the clips.

[@alanjohnson2613]

What if in hatcheries you taught walleye and pike to eat this fish

[@mcrary100]

I think Gobis are really cute

[@vicbanks9079]

Interesting vdo thanks. If you catch one why you have throw them back? They're non-native and destructive, so why let 'em go??

[@BadgerlandFishes]

They’re past the point of no return in the Great Lakes and I don’t like killing anything, so I’d rather just let them go. If they showed up in a new waterbody where maybe they could be controlled that would be a different story.

[@vicbanks9079]

@@BadgerlandFishes I appreciate your sentiment...Gobi's are kind of fish immigrants joining with sea lamprey, salmon, zebra mussels ad nauseum changing Great Lakes ecology forever ...seasoned with phosphorous/nitrogen, chromium6 and a considerable dollop of PFAS. Not my kind of fish stew. What a damnable pity

[@Kayceesoutdoorliving]

Would it be illegal to kill the goby by cutting the heads off, tossing them in a bucket and then grinding them up for raccoon bait? I know you cant transport live gobies.

[@tripplebeards3427]

Swear there are more Gobies in the Great Lakes than there are mosquitoes flying around them

[@nyrider8396]

Can I keep a few in my 55 gallon tank as pet?

[@BadgerlandFishes]

Definitely illegal given their invasive species status. There are some similar native species such as darters and sculpins that you can keep as pets if you buy them online and make sue they're native.

[@killdeerperiland3303]

i got a black one , what type?

[@BadgerlandFishes]

Most-likely just a dark Round Goby. Their color is highly variable.

[@collindomozych6731]

Idc if they’re invasive or not the bass get huge off them

[@Scuba451]

I caught a round goby in a Small river in Tennessee about 20 years ago, I’m originally from Ohio how I knew what it was

[@Ford-fanatic]

The gobyes ar so tasty and easy to catch .

[@GetRocStar]

I’ve used these little bastards as cut bait before and caught a few bass & cats

[@jeffreese8287]

Wait I’m confused it’s an invasive species but you throw it back? 😂

[@justaddwater1776]

Just get some Saint Lawrence strain smallies they are built for goby’s literally

[@davidvargas2398]

Ngl in Buffalo we kill those things the moment we catch ‘em

[@alanjohnson2613]

I thought hou were supposed to kill it if you caught one

[@mysato769]

who else got number 9 on there biology assignment?

[@JamesLee-yw8hk]

Goby being bottom dwellers eat the eggs of other fish.

[@user-we6me7pt5u]

Throw a crawfish trap.

[@reidsimonson]

Prey for other species and you mention trout and salmon... sigh... No, you are thinking of alewives. They are prey for walleye and whitefish among others. Arguably the species is an over all positive for doubling whitefish populations in four years and the massive increase in walleye populations and size has been quite amazing.

[@BadgerlandFishes]

No, I'm not thinking of Alewives

[@reidsimonson]

@@BadgerlandFishes There is minimal if any feeding by trout and salmon on goby species.

[@rubenlozano8175]

Catch a goby kill a goby 😎

[@robertsuter2474]

If they are invasive you should kill every one of them you catch,have we learned nothing from the carp?

[@BadgerlandFishes]

We're past the controlling stage in Lake Michigan. We're talking about densities as high as 20 gobies per square meter of lake bottom. We don't go out and shoot every House Sparrow (another nonnative species) we see, because it would be virtually pointless. There are just too many of them. Additionally, Coho Salmon, Chinook Salmon, Brown Trout, and Rainbow Trout are Nonnative fish that are STOCKED in the Great Lakes. Should we kill all of them too? The main message here is don't move invasive species such as Round Gobies to other waterways and let's do our best to prevent invasive species from taking hold in new areas in the first place.

[@robertsuter2474]

@@BadgerlandFishes yes so put them back in the water to continue to breed ,brilliant idea,how's it working out ooo ya you said what 20 per square meter?if fishermen would have been allowed to destroy them maybe they could have been controlled. I dont know just a crazy though.

[@BadgerlandFishes]

@@robertsuter2474 They were allowed to destroy them, actually they were commanded to destroy them at first. That was the rule. You had to kill them if you caught them. After the population got out of hand the management rules changed.

[@DEVILDOG1964]

ALL PREDATOR FISH LOVE GOBIES IT LIKE EATING A JELLY BEAN ORV ECLAIR!!

[@kennygworld]

I throw them to the seagulls

[@nunyabis9021]

Pretty sure your supposed to kill them and throw them on shore so their eggs don't end up back in water

[@garinthompson4632]

Where i live we just kill them because they eat all the fish eggs and they are everywhere 😂

[@olegdrepin526]

I am from Ukraine and fished at black sea. Those gobies are easy to clean and awesome to eat! great pen fish! Trust me!

[@m373x]

I also fish the Black sea, goby is very delicious. Easy to clean, very tender meat. Excellent fish.

[@hellinterface6721]

You know Ukraine sucks when they think these are EASY and AWESOME!

[@bulldog2200]

They top out at about 9" here in the great lakes (occasionally larger),,,, no where near the size you find them

[@marcouellette4671]

Why throw them back in the lake if they are invasive? Catch and kill.

[@whiskersmom5850]

Its all fun and games until somebody ruins the Great Lakes. Sigh 🙄

[@BadgerlandFishes]

Ruins them *again* 😂

[@kushcloudz42]

In lake huron these fish can get as dense as 100 per square meter. The round gobie is a nuisance in the grat lakes you should of killed them rather then throwing them back.

[@BadgerlandFishes]

It’s past the point of no return. Leaving them on the bank is going to cause more damage with the smell in a public place. The most important thing is to not transport them to new areas.

[@dansweda712]

So why not kill them when you catch them, why would they want you to throw them back in??

[@BadgerlandFishes]

Their population is enormous. I’d rather not create added waste on the shore and I just don’t like killing things. If I found them in a new body of water where they aren’t established, that would be a different story.

[@dansweda712]

@@BadgerlandFishes well, like you said in the video, there negatives out weigh there positives. And yeah, I won't even kill a fly, I catch them or open a window and put them outside, but for them I'd make an exception, when I was a kid we called small fish like that slappers, you leave them on the hook and slap them on a rock, either throw them back in or put them in a bucket and toss them in the weeds

[@surf2257]

Theres no way to get rid of the Goby or the asian ''grass'' carp, no matter our behaviors to counter it. sad

[@SSHitMan]

Zebra mussels have done more harm.

[@davidc.9933]

nope. the fish learned to eat them

[@cameronkedas3334]

!!WARNING!! Never use live round gobies as bait 1) they could get off and keep spreading if not hooked well 2) they will shred your bait to pieces and you could run out quickly 3) they like to hide in rocky retreats so you could get snagged and your line can break. They will be hiding in rocks, see the bait sink to the bottom, bite and then darting right back into their hiding spot. When your line breaks, the fish could swim off to keep spreading

[@mattmiller9718]

I use them for bait but I only get them from the river in which I fish them out of.

[@orasis]

Throw it back? Really? Interesting. Here you must kill them. You cannot use them as bait either.

[@BadgerlandFishes]

Where are you located?

[@jokervbatman5023]

@@BadgerlandFishes in canada,ontario you have to killl them and cannot use thdm as bait

[@cyrilovid]

Just eat them

[@teklife]

people often overreact to invasive species, but if this goby is both prey for gamefish and eat the problematic zebra musssels, at least it's not all bad.

[@dr.awkward9075]

"Not our fault the other fish were pvssies."---Gobi

[@NearingLight]

Temporally. Their one word and your video is unnecessary

[@echomumford6690]

They the most unattractive looking fish to me. Beauty is

[@BadgerlandFishes]

Beauty is what?? I need to know!