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While it might seem to some that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is throwing good money after bad fighting the invasive sea lamprey, we support continued efforts by this agency and others to rid the Great Lakes and adjacent waters of the nasty invasive species.
Sea lamprey are parasitic fish native to the Atlantic Ocean that invaded the Great Lakes via shipping canals in the early 1900s. They attach to fish with a suction-cup mouth lined with sharp teeth, feed on their body fluids, killing up to 40 pounds of fish during their parasitic phase.
Many Great Lakes anglers can ruefully relate catching trout and northern pike, for example, which have ugly circular wounds on their sides from lamprey. When caught, these fish are often physically distressed as lamprey have literally sucked the life out of them.
The principal weapon employed against sea lamprey has been the use of what's known as lampricide, specialized chemical cocktails toxic to lamprey. The cost of suppressing these so-called “vampire fish” has grown exponentially over nearly seven decades due to inflation, expanded treatment zones and the rising cost of chemicals.
Between the U.S. and Canadian governments since 1958, when the real war against the lamprey began, better than $1 billion has been invested, according to the Great Lakes Fishery Commission, a joint U.S.-Canadian entity set up in the mid-1950s to oversee the lamprey program. Of that amount, the U.S. has been responsible for about 69 percent and the Canadians about 31 percent. This ratio is based on the proportion of Great Lakes surface area and historical fish harvests belonging to each nation.
What has that sizable sum bought over the years? It's a fair question. And here's another one: What would have happened to the $5.1-$7 billion Great Lakes sport and commercial fisheries without it? The GLFC notes that for every $1.4 million spent on lamprey control, the region yields roughly $4.9 million in direct economic gains. Sounds like a good investment of taxpayers' dollars to us.
Applications of lampricide will be conducted in the Marquette area between Aug. 11-20. The dates are tentative based upon local weather or stream conditions near the time of treatment.
We wish the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service good hunting.