Round Goby (Neogobius melanostomus) impacts on benthic fish communities in two tributaries of the Great Lakes

Numerous fish species in the Laurentian Great Lakes have been negatively impacted by the establishment of the invasive Round Goby (Neogobius melanostomus). However, limited understanding exists as to how Round Goby has impacted small-bodied native benthic fishes after its secondary invasion into tributaries of the Laurentian Great Lakes. To investigate Round Goby impacts on darter species (family Percidae) in tributary ecosystems, catch per unit area (CPUA) of native and non-native fishes from two riverine ecosystems in Southwestern Ontario (Ausable River, Big Otter Creek) were analyzed. Spatial analyses indicated Round Goby CPUA was highest proximate to the Great Lakes, with a sharp decline in CPUA at sites upstream from each lake (Round Goby CPUA approached zero after 18 and 14 km in the Ausable River and Big Otter Creek, respectively). There was some evidence of a negative relationship between the CPUA of Round Goby and several darter species along the tributary gradients, with moderately negative co-occurrence between Round Goby and Rainbow Darter in the Ausable River and Johnny Darter and Percidae species overall in Big Otter Creek. However, overwhelming evidence of negative associations between Round Goby and all darter species was not found. The negative relationship between the CPUA of Round Goby and some darter species was observed over similar time periods since establishment but greater spatial scales than in previous studies, and therefore has important implications for understanding the ecological impacts of Round Goby in tributary ecosystems.