Michigan Lake Depths

Fish

Round Goby

Neogobius melanostomus · Michigan's invasive species site lists it as Apollonia melanostomus

Prohibited in MichiganRecorded in 10 Michigan lakes
Round goby seen from the side
Side view
Round goby seen from below and in front, showing the round suction disc under its chest and the black spot on its first back fin
From below: the suction disc and dorsal spot

These illustrations are AI-generated, not photographs, and are not to scale. They show what to look for; they are not a substitute for an expert identification.

How to identify it

Size: Usually under 7 inches long.

  • Belly fins joined into a single round suction disc. This is the key feature.
  • A black spot at the back of the first fin on its back.
  • Large, frog-like eyes set high on the head.
  • A mottled gray-brown body.

Don’t confuse it with

Native sculpins also rest on the bottom, but their belly fins are separate, not joined into a disc.

Mottled sculpin resting on the bottom, belly fins separate
Sculpin (native) — Also rests on the bottom, but its belly fins are separate rather than joined into a single disc.

Where it came from

Native to the Black Sea and Caspian Sea region of eastern Europe and western Asia.

Carried to the Great Lakes in ships' ballast water and first found in the St. Clair River in 1990. It has since spread through all five Great Lakes and into rivers and some inland waters.

Earliest dated Michigan record: 1990, the St. Clair River. This is the oldest dated record in the USGS non-native species database, not necessarily when it first arrived.

Why it matters

It eats the eggs and young of native fish, competes with native bottom-dwelling fish, and has been linked to outbreaks of botulism that kill fish-eating birds.

Michigan law

Prohibited under Part 413 of Michigan's Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act. It is illegal to possess, introduce, import, sell or offer to sell it as a live organism, except in the limited cases the law allows. The state uses “prohibited” for species that are not yet widespread in Michigan. The state’s page on this species.

If you find it

  • Don’t move it. Michigan law requires boaters to remove all aquatic plants from boats, equipment and trailers before launching. Before trailering, you must pull all drain plugs, drain live wells and bilges, and make sure the boat and trailer are free of aquatic plants and animals. What the law requires
  • Never release bait. Releasing baitfish into Michigan waters is illegal. Put unused bait in the trash, never in the water.
  • Report it. Take a photo, note where you saw it, and report it to the Midwest Invasive Species Information Network (MISIN) or through Michigan’s invasive species program. Experts there can confirm what you found.
  • Ask before removing or treating. Treating a lake with herbicides or other chemicals needs a state permit, and some removal work does too. Start with the state’s Aquatic Nuisance Control program before taking action.

Michigan lakes where it has been recorded

10 Michigan lakes on this site have a record of this species.

Alcona

Hubbard Lake

Benzie

Platte Lake

Charlevoix

Lake Charlevoix

Cheboygan

Mullett Lake

Macomb

Stony Creek Lake

Manistee

Portage Lake

Mason

Hamlin Lake

Muskegon

Muskegon Lake

Presque Isle

Lake Esau

Wayne

Belleville Lake

A lake that is not listed may still have it. Records exist only where someone found the species and reported it, so “not recorded” does not mean “not present.”

Lake records: Midwest Glacial Lakes Partnership Conservation Planner; underlying records from the USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species database.

Sources

Earliest dated record: USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species database.

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