Sea lamprey boom in Lake Michigan
By WorkCabin.ca Staff
It's also worrisome because a population boom in Lake Michigan poses direct consequences for the rest of the Great Lakes if lamprey larvae are successful in reaching other lakes.
Another indication of the lamprey's impact on the fishery is the telltale scars left behind on fish. In recent years between 13 and 16 per cent of lake trout showed signs of lamprey scars. The normal scar rate has been about five per cent. The U.S. and Canada have spent more than $300 million attempting to control sea lamprey since 1960. A sea lamprey can kill 40 or more pounds of fish. Only one in seven fish attacked by a sea lamprey will survive. Sea lampreys prey on all species of large Great Lakes fish such as lake trout, salmon, rainbow trout, whitefish, chubs, burbot, walleye, catfish, and sturgeon. The lampreys attach themselves to fish with a sucking disk and sharp teeth. Then, feed on the fish's body fluids.
How devastating has the lamprey been on the Great Lakes?
The Great Lakes Fishery Commission says that before sea lampreys entered the Great Lakes, Canada and the U.S. harvested about 15 million pounds of lake trout in lakes Huron and Superior annually. By the early 1960s, the catch was only about 300,000 pounds.
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