The second largest Great Lake, Lake Huron, has a surface area of 23,000 square miles - slightly smaller than West Virginia - make it the fifth largest freshwater lake in the world. Bordered by the Province of Ontario and the State of Michigan, Lake Huron measures about 206

miles long and 183 miles wide with nearly 3,200 miles of shoreline.

At 579 feet above sea level, it averages 195 feet deep with a maximum depth of 750 feet and has a flushing time of about 22 years. About two-thirds of the lake's 51,700 square mile watershed is still covered by forests, and the lake contains more than 30,000 islands.

Lake Huron mainly functions as conveyor within the Great Lakes system, carrying both water and ships from the other two upper lakes to the urban and industrial centers along the lower two lakes. The region is a major U.S. forest industry area, and some of the world's largest nickel reserves are located in Ontario just north of the lake.

It is extremely important that angler be aware of these species and take all possible precautions to prevent their spread.

Round and Tube-nose Gobies are very aggressive, pugnacious fish. They feed voraciously and eat the eggs and fry of native fish. They will aggressively defend spawning sites in rocky habitats, thereby restricting access of native species to prime spawning areas.

They have a well developed sensory system that enhances their ability to detect water movement. This allows them to feed in total darkness, and gives them a major competitive advantage over native fish in the same habitat. They eat catfish eggs, small fish, darters, Lake Trout, and insect larvae. They reproduction of the Lake Trout in the Great Lakes is extremely limited.

The Gobi's are robust and are able to survive under degraded water conditions.

Spawning can occur frequently from April through September. Each female produces from 300 to 5,000 large (4x2.2mm 0.16 x 0.09 inch) eggs; these eggs are deposited in nests on top of rocks, logs or cans. They subsequently are guarded by the males.

Gobies and other exotic species traveled to the Great Lakes in the ballast water of cargo ships. Ballast water is pumped aboard in Europe to stabilize these ships as they cross the Atlantic Ocean and then pumped out when American cargo is unloaded in our ports. Many aquatic species have survived such a journey, including the Zebra Mussel.