Preserving Regional Industries

Problem

Could the invasive round goby ruin the Chesapeake Bay's multi-million-dollar oyster industry?

Findings

In studying the diet of round gobies in northwest Pennsylvania's French Creek, researchers confirmed that the gobies feed on native freshwater mussels.

Impact

If gobies reach the Pennsylvania tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay, they pose an enormous threat to this estuary, which is one of the largest bodies of ideal oyster habitat on Earth.

• Pennsylvania's tributaries could be a gateway for the invasive species.
• Gobies may reach the estuary if used as bait.

Related Research Area: Environmental Resilience

Research Credit

Team

• Jay Stauffer, Joshua Wisor, Kyle Clark, and Sara Mueller

Participating Departments

• Ecosystem Science and Management

Competitive Funding

• Pennsylvania Sea Grant College Program of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Federal and State Appropriations

• Project PEN04584 and USDA NIFA Accession #1005697

Emerging Discoveries

Invasive round gobies may be poised to decimate endangered French Creek mussels

April 01, 2019

The round goby — a small, extremely prolific, invasive fish from Europe — poses a threat to endangered freshwater mussels in northwestern Pennsylvania's French Creek, one of the last strongholds for two species of mussels, according to researchers.

Published Research

Documentation of Freshwater Mussels (Unionidae) in the Diet of Round Gobies (Neogobius melanostomus) within the French Creek Watershed, Pennsylvania.

• Bradshaw-Wilson, C., Stauffer, J., Wisor, J., Clark, K., & Mueller, S. (2019). Documentation of Freshwater Mussels (Unionidae) in the Diet of Round Gobies (Neogobius melanostomus) within the French Creek Watershed, Pennsylvania. American Midland Naturalist, 181(2), 259-270. https://doi.org/10.1674/0003-0031-181.2.259