Windsor

Sea lamprey count planned for Detroit River

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service wants to find out how many sea lampreys are in the Detroit River and other area waterways.

Eel-like parasites attack trout, salmon, whitefish and other species

A frightening close up of a fish's mouth with many pointing teeth
Sea lamprey populations will be monitored in waterways near Windsor-Essex. (photo credit: T. Lawrence GLFC)

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service wants to find out how many sea lampreys are in the Detroit River and other area
waterways.

A crew is expected to do an assessment from May 29 to June 7 that will help determine the need for measures to control the eel-like parasites, which attack fish such as trout, salmon and whitefish.

They invaded the Great Lakes in the last century and decimated native fish until a poison was developed that brought them under control.

The Fish and Wildlife Service says the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Health Canada Pest Management Regulatory Agency have concluded that the lampricide Bayluscide poses no unreasonable risk to the general population and the environment when applied at concentrations necessary to detect larval sea lampreys.

Have you seen sea lampreys?

CBC Windsor wants to know if you've seen the eel-like lampreys while fishing or enjoying the waterways in our area. 

Send your story or photos to [email protected], or to our Facebook or Twitter pages.

A 13-centimetre sea lamprey that has been in the river system for about four years. (Fort Folly Habitat Recovery)