MADISON – The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources says anglers in the Winnebago System will be allowed to keep harvested invasive round gobies under a new emergency rule.
The Wisconsin Natural Resources Board recently approved the emergency rule, which is in effect June 19 through Nov. 16, 2026.
According to the DNR, anglers may keep round gobies harvested from Winnebago System waters if the fish are decapitated, eviscerated, or have their gills removed.
A round goby from Lake Winnebago was first reported by an angler and confirmed by DNR staff in Oshkosh on June 2, 2025. The DNR says additional gobies have been caught and reported by anglers since that initial confirmation.
The department says a round goby population has not been established in those waters, making angler reporting an important tool for tracking the invasive fish in the Winnebago System.
Round gobies are aggressive invasive fish that reproduce quickly and can survive in poor water quality. The DNR says they can displace native fish populations.
Anglers who catch a suspected round goby in Winnebago System waters are asked to kill the fish by decapitating or eviscerating it, or by removing its gills, and then report it to the DNR. The department says the best way to report a suspected goby is through its online goby reporting tool, which asks anglers to include a photo for identification.
Anglers may also bring a suspected goby specimen to the DNR’s Oshkosh office by freezing it or placing the dead fish on ice in a plastic bag. The office is open 8:30AM to 4PM Monday through Friday.
The DNR says round gobies caught downstream of the Neenah or Menasha dams, in Little Lake Butte des Morts, Green Bay, or Lake Michigan do not need to be reported because those areas already have verified round goby populations. The department reminds anglers not to use round gobies as bait, release fish from one lake into another, or throw unwanted bait into the water.
