We have good news to report on one aspect of the health of the Great Lakes. Sea lamprey levels are down, which is good news for fish and anglers in the Blue Water Area.
According to a report by the Great Lakes Fishery Commission, sea lampreys, an aggressive invasive species that are responsible for up to 103 million pounds of fish killed every year, are under control. The Commission credits both comprehensive sea lamprey control methods and environmental factors in this year’s population decline.
If you have visited the Port Huron Sturgeon Festival, held every year in June, you may have seen live sea lamprey, which are vampire-like parasites that are considered to be the worst of invasive species in the Great Lakes. Sheri Faust, Board President of The Friends of the St. Clair River, told us that “the news of the decline of sea lamprey is good for the Blue Water Area’s local threatened species like Lake Sturgeon and [the] native mussel populations. [Area residents] need to care about mussels because they are natural water filters and are among the most imperiled creatures on the planet.
St. Clair County’s rivers support some of the most diverse – and endangered – mussel species in Michigan. Invasive species like Sea Lamprey can affect mussel’s survival, as well as important sportfish species survival like Walleye and Northern Pike.”
Reporting for WGRT, ebw.tv.
