In order to study the Baltic Sea invasive species round goby, the LIFE REEFproject tagged and released 8 000 individuals of the species into the Baltic Sea over two years. With public involvement, 245 T-bar tags have been reported so far. This year, everyone is invited to report the capture of tagged individuals.

A T-bar with the inscription "BIOR RIGA" and a four-digit code has been placed in the upper fin of tagged round goby. The capture of tagged round goby should be reported to the Scientific Institute for Food Safety, Animal Health and the Environment "BIOR" at 20239304 or by e-mail to ivars.putnis@bior.lv. There is a reward for reporting.

When contacting, please provide, the code visible on the sign, the full length of the fish in cm, the fishing gear, fishing duration, date and location coordinates. It is also necessary to send a photo of the fish so that the special code can be seen on it. The caught fish can also be frozen and stored whole for later transfer to the institute.

Previous information on the migration of round gobies in the Baltic Sea was insufficient, but following the reports of tagged round gobies recovered last year, an idea of the general behaviour of the species in Latvian coastal waters is emerging. The species has a highly territorial behaviour, poor buoyancy and a sedentary lifestyle. For a more precise, effective and science-based management of the round goby fishery, a management plan for the species is currently being developed and public involvement is contributing to a better quality of the plan.

The round goby isan invasive speciesthat has become one of the dominant fish species in Latvian coastal waters in a relatively short period of time. The round goby has a highly aggressive lifestyle, negatively affecting several native species and increasing pressure on the food base available in the environment, and therefore has a high potential to negatively affect species and habitats in marine protected areas.

Photo: BIOR