Environment DEC
From the September 2003 issue
Lake Champlain Sea Lamprey Control Program Continues
As part of a continuing, long-term effort to protect Lake Champlain's fishery from non-native parasitic fish, sea lamprey control treatments were made last month in three tributaries and one delta of Lake Champlain. Trout and salmon populations, which are native to Lake Champlain, will benefit, as will anglers.
Treatments are scheduled to be completed by early October. Staff from DEC, the Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife and the US Fish and Wildlife Service will administer the treatments which target sea lamprey larvae. A fourth tributary in Vermont, the Winooski River, also will be treated this fall.
Benefits of Control
Using its rasp-like mouth (seen here), the
sea lamprey bores a hole into the side of
a fish to feed on its tissues
(Photo courtesy USFWS)
In the Lake Champlain system, most immature sea lamprey live in streams for four years before entering the lake, where they prey on fish such as trout and salmon. Under the control program, the pesticide trifluoromethyl-nitrophenol (TFM) is applied precisely to those streams during an approximate 12-hour period to kill sea lamprey larvae.
DEC studies have shown that control results in decreased wounding and scarring rates to other fish and can help to increase populations of lake trout and landlocked salmon. DEC studies also have shown that anglers caught more and substantially bigger trout and salmon as a result of previous treatments.
Water-Use Advisories
To minimize human exposure to TFM, temporary water-use advisories are in effect for specific areas following each treatment. DEC staff identify all landowners along the waters for which treatments are planned and make multiple notifications. Local television and radio stations broadcast dates when advisories begin and expire. Upon request, DEC can provide a water supply to affected residents and their livestock. Treatments and advisories do not affect most residents in the Champlain basin, and no municipal water supplies are involved.
The public is invited to call DEC toll free at 1-800-638-5432 for information about treatment schedules, progress reports, treatment updates and water-use advisories. To see the press release that includes the recent table "Water Use Advisory Areas", please click on the appropriate link below.
