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NOS News•
A new exotic fish species for the Netherlands has been discovered in the waters of Zeeuws-Vlaanderen: the shimofuri goby.
The animal originates from Asia and was taken from the water near Biervliet by fishermen in August last year, reports Ravon, knowledge organization for fish, reptiles and amphibians. In November the same fish were seen in the Canal from Ghent to Terneuzen.
The fish probably came with ships’ ballast water. The animal is not very noticeable and grows up to 12 centimeters long. “The gobies are mainly on the bottom, at the bottom of the water column. The animal also has a bit of a marbled pattern on the jaws and white spots on the underside,” says Mick Vos van Ravon. Broadcasting Zeeland.
Invasive
The shimofuri goby is an invasive exotic for the Netherlands, which can easily dominate native fish species. The Scheldestromen water board will therefore monitor the fish. Ravon looks inside to investigate what the fish is doing. “We want to know whether the animal can survive here and whether it could possibly pose a threat to, for example, the brackish water gudgeon that lives in the water here,” says Vos.
The animal has also been found in the waters of the American state of California since 1990: “There, the animal is a problem for other fish species. So we are curious what the goby will do here.”
The shimofuri goby is not dangerous for swimmers, Vos knows. He does ask fishermen to take a photo if they encounter the animal and to report it.
