An Essay: I Hate to Burst your Bubble

I am not really old and wise, yet, but I have been fishing the St Lawrence for all of my 68 years. I am not a fisheries biologist but, I do have some environmental education and have a pretty good understanding of aquatic habitats and the biota there-in. The opinions to follow are my own, based on regular observations which I hope, prove to be dead wrong, in the future.

All of us who have been around here for thirty years or more, have seen some dramatic changes on the River; changes which impact on our natural fishery. Highlights of the list include:  the completion of the “Seaway”; the move to municipal sewage treatment plants; the arrival of the zebra mussels and cormorants; the changes in regional agricultural practices; the arrival of aggressive invasive aquatic plants and most recently the establishment of the “gobies”.

Compounding these influences was the increased fishing pressure brought by bass tournaments and the new fishing habits that spun-off from tournament-style fishing.  (Another time perhaps, I can expound on my distaste for that sort of fishing.)

Considering all the above, the stage is set for a drastic decline in the richness of our natural fishery. I think the crash has started and I think the gobie has tipped the balance.

The Round Gobie

[Round Gobies are bottom-dwelling fish that were introduced to the Great Lakes from central Eurasia, via the ballast water of large, ocean-going cargo ships.]

The gobie started appearing in numbers at least ten years ago. I used to do a lot of work underwater and was fascinated to find the bottom in some areas covered with a squirming carpet of these critters. They are ugly, almost pre-historic looking things, which seem to consist mostly of head and outsized mouth. They don’t have scales or sharp spines, so as one might expect, our local fish eat them with gusto.

For the last couple of years, bass fishermen in particular have been euphoric with the results of this new forage base for our bass. It is now fairly common to catch bass over 20 inches and five plus pounds in weight. Most bass now come to the landing net looking like a football….they are gorging on gobies. The word has spread and bass fishermen are excited. As I mentioned at the outset, I hope I am wrong, but I have grave concerns about where this is all headed.

My concerns began when I realized, I and others that I talked to were not catching any of the pesky little eight to ten inch bass, which were common. Similarly, rock bass and perch in deep water have just about disappeared. I am more of a northern pike specialist these days and I have caught absolutely no “hammer-handle” 18 inch pike in the last two years. The pike are also gorging on the gobies and growing fat.

What I believe has happened, is that spawning efforts over the last few years have been hugely less successful because the gobie swarms are eating anything that will fit in its face.

The fish that it could not handle a couple years ago are in turn growing huge on this abundant food source, but there is no replacement class behind them! I fear we will soon see a major crash in our natural fishery….the big bass will become more and more scarce. The northern pike, by standards of yesteryear, are already scarce. I have recently caught some veritable monsters, as have others. I catch virtually no skinny little pike as I commonly did a few years ago.

A Possible Reason

This year I was fortunate to see two things I had never seen before. First, prior to bass season opening, I saw a large bass in about 15 feet of our now crystal clear water. It was tending a typical spawning pocket on the bedrock and gravel bottom. It darted frantically in and out of the little depression it had made, trying to keep a swarm of gobies out of it and it was obviously a hopeless effort. There was an ebb and flow of gobies in and out of that nest, depending on which way the overwhelmed bass made its defensive rush. I doubt if a single egg could have remained.

The gobie is almost furtive in its efforts to cling to the bottom and squirm around in the tiniest of cracks and spaces amongst the bottom rocks. It is definitely where it thrives and feeds.

Second, not long after seeing the bass episode, I saw a pike in about ten feet of water in a rocky bottom area devoid of any submergent vegetation. This is not the pikes classical habitat. This particular pike was well over “keeper” size and was standing on its head rooting around amongst the rocks after the gobies like a pig. I think this is pretty unusual behavior for a pike. They have evolved with a long streamlined body with eyes on top of the head, all for lurking around and running down prey like a barracuda all in a horizontal attitude.

While I am expounding on my own opinions, I’ll declare that the northern pike resource has long been over-utilized. The closed season is far too short and late ice fishing takes a terrible toll on hen fish which stage in shallow bays prior to spawning runs. Twenty or more years ago, it was not uncommon for a local fishing guide to catch dozens of pike in a day with a party of four. Now it is not uncommon for a guide to go pikeless with that same party of four.

You have my doom and gloom about a pending collapse of our game fishery. I think we are long overdue for some regulatory changes and, perhaps, consideration of hatcheries for bass and pike. Those of you who are ecstatic over our big fat bass and bigger than before pike….well, I hate to burst your bubble, but… be prepared for ceremonial fishing and much less catching.

By Hunter Grimes III

Hunter Grimes served in the Navy, from 1966-1970; in 1968-70 he was with UDT 21 and Navy Seals. He is currently owner of Diverse Construction Group, LLC. He attended SUNY Oswego, University of Alaska at Fairbanks and Syracuse School of Forestry. Hunter is certainly a genuine River Rat – a reliable term given for those who spend their lives on, in or under the River. In 1989, Canadian author Shawn Thompson wrote his book, River Rats: The People of the Thousand Islands; page 68 has the Hunter Grimes story. Hunter and his wife Martha have devoted their lives to their community, both being recognized for their volunteer efforts and leadership.  To see other of Hunter’s essays in TI Life, click here.