Maximum Length and Age of Round Gobies (Apollonia melanostomus) in Lake Huron

The round goby (Apollonia [Neogobius] melanostomus), an invasive species, is generally smaller and shorter-lived in the Great Lakes than it native range. We examined 30 large male round gobies from trawl samples taken in Lake Huron and used otoliths to determine their age and back-calculated growth. Standard lengths ranged from 76 to 97 mm, and the oldest fish were age-5. Low water temperatures in nearshore regions of Lake Huron might cause slow growth and late maturation.