TORONTO - Anglers need to be vigilant and report any sightings of round goby after one of the invasive fish was found near Lake Simcoe, Natural Resources Minister David Ramsay said today.

"The Ministry of Natural Resources and the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters, partners in the Invading Species program, are very concerned about this and are monitoring the situation," said Ramsay. "We are asking anglers, the baitfish industry and other stakeholders to work with us to help make sure this aggressive species doesn't spread further to our inland lakes and rivers."

A round goby was caught in Pefferlaw Brook, some three kilometres from Lake Simcoe, in early August. Anglers who catch a round goby should kill it and call the Invading Species Hotline (1-800-563-7711) or the local Ministry of Natural Resources office to report it. Gobies should not be released alive. Anglers are urged to keep the fish for identification purposes. Anglers and the baitfish industry are also reminded that it is illegal to release baitfish from one water body to another or to use gobies as bait.

Gobies, first discovered in Ontario in the St. Clair River in 1990, are now present in all of the Great Lakes. Gobies were discovered in the Trent River last summer and the discovery of this species in Pefferlaw Brook marks the second inland sighting in Ontario.

"It is clear we need to assess the extent of the current goby distribution in the waterway and look at potential options for controlling its spread," said Mike Reader, Executive Director of the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters (OFAH).

Under the Invading Species program, the OFAH is sending information about round gobies to bait shops, marinas and resorts in the Lake Simcoe area to alert residents and resource users.

Round gobies are usually less than 25 cm long, mottled brown in colour, with frog-like eyes and a single fused pelvic fin that resembles a suction cup. They are quite prolific, spawning several times per season, and can displace native fish by eating their eggs and young.

Contact:

Ginette Albert
Minister's Office
(416) 314-2212

Francine MacDonald
Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters
1-800-563-7711
www.invadingspecies.com