Syracuse.com - Round gobies have finally arrived in Oneida Lake

[HuntingNY-News]

They made their way into Oneida Lake through the Oneida River.

Round gobies have been found in Oneida Lake.DEC photo 

Fishery biologists figured they'd turn up sooner or later.

They've finally arrived. Round gobies have been found in Oneida Lake.

Randy Jackson, associate director of the Cornell Biological Field Station in Bridgeport, confirmed today that the invasive fish species has finally made its way into the lake, based on two independent reports by anglers, a picture and samples.

"They're here. Actually, we're surprised they took this long to arrive," he said.

Jackson said a local angler has caught them two times (once in mid-summer and again in late summer) fishing under the Route 81 bridge in Brewerton at the lake's west end. He didn't bring in live or frozen samples, but he did turn in a picture.

"We looked at the picture and there's nothing else it could be," he said.

In addition, another angler recently brought in a couple of round gobies he said he had just caught at an undisclosed location on Oneida Lake.

"Both of these guys are credible, with no reason to lie," Jackson said.

The bug-eyed, minnow-sized fish are native of Russia. Fisheries biologists believe they arrived in the Great Lakes more than a decade ago in freighter's ballast water. They feed on "just about anything, " including the eggs of native fish and zebra mussels.

They currently carpet the bottom of large sections of Lake Ontario and aggressively strip the hooks of bait fisherman. They were discovered two years ago Onondaga Lake and have since been spotted in Cross Lake, Cayuga Lake and the Seneca and Oneida Rivers. They made their way into Oneida Lake through the Oneida River.

Matt Snyder, of Cicero, who is vice president of the Oneida Lake Association, said he shares Jackson's sentiments. "I'm surprised it took them this long to get here," he said.

Snyder added that "Nobody knows how this is going to impact the fish or the fishing. I think that everybody who cares about the lake should just be more vigilant about the things we can control."

Jackson said at this point they appear to be in the lake in low numbers, but that could change quickly.

"They've not been seen yet in the stomachs of any walleyes we've examined, nor did they turn up when we did our annual fall electro-shocking of fish," he said.

"I have no doubt, though. They're here."

View the full article on The Syracuse Outdoors Blog