Application of the lampricide, TFM, to tributaries is the first line of defense to maintaining control of sea lamprey populations in the Great Lakes. - FWS photo

During July, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s sea lamprey control program staff treated 11 Great Lakes streams (5 in Lake Superior, 2 in Lake Michigan, and 4 in Lake Huron) with lampricide to eliminate larval sea lamprey populations. 

These treatments destroyed an estimated 210,000 larval sea lampreys including nearly 9,200 that would have metamorphosed to the parasitic phase in 2007 and entered the Great Lakes.  There, each parasitic phase sea lamprey would have been capable of killing upwards of 40 pounds of lake trout during its year long life in the lakes. 

Since the beginning of the 2007 field season, the control program has treated 38 streams eliminating over 5.5 million sea lamprey larvae.

The Service’s sea lamprey control program is conducted under contract with the Great Lakes Fishery Commission. 

The successful control program continues to ensure sport fish rehabilitation in the Great Lakes and protects a fishery valued at over $4.0 billion.