Sea lamprey, Petromyzon marinus, are parasitic fish that are believed to have entered Lake Champlain via the Champlain Canal. Adult sea lamprey spawn in several of the Lake's tributaries, leaving nonparasitic larvae (ammocoetes) to remain in stream sediments for several years until they transform into the adult form, at which point they migrate to the Lake to prey on fish. Attacks by adult sea lamprey on landlocked Atlantic salmon, lake trout and other fish species have limited the full development of a Lake Champlain fishery, and restricted recreational and associated economic opportunities. An eight-year experimental control program to reduce sea lamprey was completed in 1998. It was a combined effort by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, the Vermont Fish and Wildlife and the US Fish and Wildlife Service Lake Champlain Ecosystem Team. Control strategies included the use of the lampricides 3-trifluoromethyl-4-nitrophenol (TFM) in 13 streams and Bayer 73 on five tributary deltas, as well as barrier dams (see side column). To continue this program longterm, the US Fish and Wildlife Service is preparing a required supplemental Environmental Impact Statement. While this statement is being prepared, the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation is continuing the control program in New York. The LCBP also provided $60,000 to help the US FWS and the University of Vermont monitor sea lamprey populations in several Vermont tributaries. Research suggests that the control effort was quite successful. For example, since the control program began, sea lamprey nest counts have shown a downward trend and total lake trout and salmon catch has increased. More About Sea Lamprey Sea Lamprey Factsheet - Wisconsin Sea Grant Sea Lamprey Factsheet - USGS Sea Lamprey Images Sea Lamprey Recipes (No Kidding!) New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Vermont Fish and Wildlife US Fish and Wildlife Service Lake Champlain Ecosystem Team Photos on this page courtesy of the Great Lakes Fisheries Commission.

Barrier Dams to Control Lamprey Barrier dams are an alternative to chemical control of sea lamprey. In the Lake Champlain Basin, 2 barrier dams received funding through the Lake Champlain Basin Program. On the Great Chazy River in New York, $15,000 was provided to make the existing waterworks dam inpenetrable to sea lamprey. This effort alleviated the need for TFM chemical treatment on 14 miles of the river. In Vermont, an old barrier dam was repaired on Lewis Creek. The New York State Bond Act has also supported sea lamprey control by providing $226,500 to build a barrier dam on the Little AuSable River. The Little AuSable is one of the largest producers of sea lamprey in the Basin. The dam, which will be constructed by NYSDEC's Bureau of Fisheries, will also incorporate a jump pool to allow desirable species to migrate upstream.

PLEASE NOTE: The views expressed on WPTZ NEWS CHANNEL 5's series "Champlain 2000" do not necessarily reflect the position of the Lake Champlain Basin Program or the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Send questions or comments on this web site to Nicole L. Ballinger at the LCBP.
Last Updated: September 25, 2000