Response of round goby (Neogobius melanostomus) to food odours

The well-established, invasive round goby (\u27Neogobius melanostomus\u27) is known to negatively impact native fish populations in the Great Lakes. My research examined whether food-based traps could capture round gobies which use chemical stimuli to find food and mates. My first experiment examined the response of round gobies in the laboratory and field to traps baited with lake whitefish, dreissenids, rainbow trout eggs and a control. Results showed that lake whitefish and dreissenids were preferred over other treatments in the field. Digestive tract analysis of captured gobies revealed that dreissenids were the dominant prey type. Subsequently, a laboratory experiment showed that round goby swam faster and spent more time near the odour source when exposed to soaked lake whitefish compared to other treatments, suggesting that lake whitefish could be used to capture non-reproductive fish. However, further studies are required to create a food baited trap to control the round goby