The Invasive Round Goby

There are many invasive species in our 

Great Lakes. The majority of them were transported here in ballast tanks of ships from freshwater ports all over the world.

One of these recent hitchhikers is the Round Goby native to central Eurasia. They arrived in the 1990s and in less than a decade had spread to four of the five Great Lakes.

Water snakes are loving this fish...for dinner. Since Gobies tend to just sit on the rocks on the bottom of the lake, the clever water snakes sneak up on them and grab them by the head.

They then drag them to land and swallow them whole. I captured this "revenge on invasive Gobies" struggle on Manitoulin Island.

And, no, the Goby doesn't look too happy about it.

Loreen Niewenhuis is an author, adventurer, and Great Lakes speaker. She has completed a trilogy of 1,000-mile adventures exploring the Great Lakes and has written three books about the Great Lakes [A 1,000-Mile Walk on the Beach *a Heartland Indie Bestseller*, A 1,000-Mile Great Lakes Walk *winner of the Great Lakes Great Reads Award*, and A 1,000-Mile Great Lakes Island Adventure]. To learn more about her work, or to book her as a speaker, go to http://LakeTrek.com