U.S. Fish and Wildlife personnel will apply lampricides to Tuscola County’s Cass River to kill sea lamprey larvae burrowed in the stream’s bottom.
Applications will be conducted between Tuesday, June 17 and Thursday, June 26, in accordance with state permits. Application dates are tentative and may change based on local weather or stream conditions near time of treatment. Hundreds of sea lamprey larvae live in the Great Lakes’ tributaries, transforming into parasites that migrate into the lakes and kill native fish.
Failure to kill the sea lamprey larvae in streams will result in significant damage to fishing in the Great Lakes, with infested tributaries needing regular treatment with lampricides to control sea lamprey populations.
Though lampricides pose no unreasonable risk to the general population and environment when applied, the public is still urged to minimize unnecessary exposure. Agricultural irrigation also must be suspended for 24 hours during and following treatment.
Since the 1958 start of chemical control of sea lampreys in the Great Lakes, the program has been highly successful and contributed significantly to the maintenance of the $7 billion Great Lakes sport and commercial fisheries.
