(Quebec) The Quebec government on Monday announced the discovery of a tube-nosed goby, an invasive species, in Lake Saint-Francois in Monterrey, and fears it may eventually be found throughout the river’s fluvial section. .
The Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, Wildlife and Parks says the sighting in Saint-Sodic, near the Ontario border, is the first of the species.
Officials say the tube-nosed goby can have negative impacts on biodiversity. It is a predator for the eggs or larvae of species native to the ecosystem it inhabits and competes with other fish it feeds on at the bottom of the water.
Aquatic invasive species are difficult to control once they become established in an environment. In the case of the tube-nosed goby, entry into the Great Lakes suggests that its abundance may gradually increase.
The ministry reports that the tube-nosed goby was introduced to North America in the 1990s in the St. Clair River on the Ontario-Michigan border through ballast water discharges from ships from Europe. The most likely hypothesis for its arrival in Quebec is expansion from Lake Ontario down the St. Lawrence River.
Officials say the pipe-nosed goby is still rare in Quebec. Anglers are asked to report sightings of this species to the Department to better identify the presence of this species in the St. Lawrence River system.
If a fisherman believes he has caught an invasive species and does not want to keep the fish for his own consumption, he must release the fish. In particular, it aims to prevent unnecessary deaths of misidentified native fish.
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