A round goby that was recently caught in the Fox River in Neenah is displayed, Sept. 4, 2015. PC: Fox 11 Online
LAKE WINNEBAGO, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — New rules to help monitor and remove round gobies from Lake Winnebago were endorsed Wednesday by the state Natural Resources Board.
The goby is an invasive species which preys on game eggs and threatens the ecosystem. The state is trying to avoid its spread, but in the last year, the number of goby found increased from one to more than 60.
Current rules require every goby caught to be eviscerated and then brought to a DNR service station for disposal. State documents describe the change in this way:
This rule is in place to prevent the movement of goby to other systems and to better enforce illegal movement of goby (i.e., bait bucket introductions) away from waters where there are established populations. However, in a system where goby are not yet established, not abundant and where the department is still taking measures to prevent further introductions, requiring anglers to return goby to the water is inconsistent with efforts to control the spread of these fish and is an unintended consequence of the current regulation Under this proposed rule, the department intends to remove the current possession limit of one round goby to eliminate the need to throw back any if the catch exceeds that number.
The DNR is hoping increasing the bag limit means anglers won’t throw the goby back, helping get them out of the lake. The unanimous vote by the NRB means the DNR will hold a public hearing on the proposed changes before the final rule would be adopted.
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