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Reregistration Research for the Lampricide TFM

Parasitic sea lamprey introduced into the Great Lakes through the Welland Canal caused important fish stocks to decline sharply in all of the Great Lakes by the mid-1950s. A sustained binational control program using the chemical TFM has reduced sea lamprey populations and allowed the recovery of fish stocks worth between $4 and $6 billion annually to the economies of the Great Lakes states.

The use of TFM is regulated in the United States by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and in Canada by Health Canada.

To continue this use, the requirements of the EPA and Health Canada for registration of a chemical must be met. The Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center (UMESC) staff work closely with the staff of EPA and Health Canada to maintain the registration of TFM.

This project provides the data necessary for the United States and Canadian regulatory agencies to evaluate the safety of TFM for humans, wildlife, and the environment. Data regarding the nature, magnitude, and fate of TFM residues in nontarget aquatic organisms and the environment are required to support the registration.

Studies to provide these data have been conducted at UMESC and at private contract research facilities under the coordination of Center staff. The EPA evaluation of the studies is near completion.

This work began in 1990 and will be completed in April 2003.

Principal Investigator: Terrance Hubert