Megan Cookingham
Evaluating Tagging Methods and Movement Patterns of Round Gobies
The round goby (Neogobius melanostomus) is an invasive fish species introduced in the St. Clair River in 1990 and is now found throughout the Great Lakes basin. Information on round goby movement and behavior is needed to understand their potential impact on the Great Lakes. Research on potential tagging methods and movement of round gobies is scant. We explored the use of marking round gobies with passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags in order to determine the effects of tagging on growth and mortality. In general, we found that the presence of a tag in the fish had no strong effect on growth or mortality. We also conducted a study on the movement patterns of round gobies in Muskegon Lake. Using PIT tagged fish we followed 48 round gobies enclosed in a 20x20-m block net for 22 days. Our goal was to determine the movement patterns of the gobies within the block net and examine the effects of various factors on these patterns. However, during the course the study, we found that the equipment used was not optimal for use with round gobies. Due to a high escape rate and low detection rate of fish, no conclusions could be surmised on round goby movement. Overall, we determined that although PIT tags do not strongly affect the growth or mortality of round gobies, the equipment available currently seems to be inadequate for tracking round gobies in shallow-water, lake habitats.
Faculty Mentor: Carl Ruetz
Page last modified July 14, 2009
