Syracuse.com - New sea lamprey barrier/trap dedicated on Orwell Brook, a tributary to Salmon River

[HuntingNY-News]

Sea Lamprey control is crucial to maintaining the fishery in the Great Lakes, which account for some $7 billion in economic return annually for states bordering these waterways and Canada.

A new weapon has been added to the Lake Ontario sea lamprey control efforts.

State, federal and Canadian officials Tuesday dedicated a new sea lamprey barrier and trap on Orwell Brook, a tributary to the Salmon River in Oswego County.

The project is a collaborative effort among the Great Lakes Fishery Commission, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the state Department of Environmental Conservation and Fisheries and Oceans Canada. The barrier was designed by Miller Engineers of Syracuse.

A single sea lamprey can kill up to 40 pounds of fish a year.Mike Greenlar | [email protected] 

Sea Lamprey control is crucial to maintaining the fishery in the Great Lakes, which account for some $7 billion in economic return annually for states bordering these waterways and Canada. A single one of these vampire-like creatures , which attach themselves to the sides or underbelly of a fish and suck out its bodily fluids, can kill up to 40 pounds of fish a year.

"Sea lampreys are one of the most destructive invaders the Great Lakes has seen." Marc Gaden, a spokesman for the Great Lakes Fishery Commission. "Sea lamprey control on Lake Ontario and throughout the Great Lakes basin has been a tremendous success reducing lamprey populations as much as 90 percent in most of the lakes."

Currently, American and Canadian officials split the responsibility of dealing with sea lamprey in the lakes. Much of the responsibility in Lake Ontario is handled by the Canadians for logistical reasons. They who monitor their waters and more than 19 tributaries on the American side, Gaden said.

The application of lampricides (pesticides specific to lamprey) in spawning areas of lake tributaries is the primary tool used to control their spread. Other tools, such as lamprey barriers are also critical. The idea is lamprey need access to spawning habitats. Barriers prevent access.

Orwell and Pekin Brook, which flows into Orwell Brook upstream from the barrier, generate thousands of sea lamprey larvae each year. Both waterways are treated every three to four years with lampricide.

"At least one final lampricide treatment will be conducted upstream of the barrier this year (2013) to remove any remnant larvae," according to a press release from the Great Lakes Fishery Commission. "In subsequent years, the portion of Orwell Brook from the barrier downstream to the junction with the main Salmon River will be treated every three years."

The new barrier on Orwell Brook, according to the news release, is an "adjustable crest, low head barrier fitted with aluminum stop logs that can be removed outside of the annual lamprey spawning run each spring" to accommodate other spawning fish such as salmon, steelhead and brown trout.

The stop logs, though, will be put back in place during the spring lamprey run, trapping them as they try to go upstream while permitting "passage of jumping species, such as steelhead and Atlantic salmon."

Canadian officials will be responsible for maintaining the height of the barrier, using the stop logs.

The spawning adult lamprey, meanwhile, will be removed from the trap at the barrier each spring by U.S. Fish and Wildlife officials, who will then either landfill the lamprey or provided to biologicial students for dissection.

Gaden said lamprey control in Lake Ontario didn't start around 1970s. "Prior to that a lot of the fish were coming out looking like Swiss cheese."

View the full article on The Syracuse Outdoors Blog