A Service biological science technician applies lampricide, TFM, to a Great Lakes tributary infested with sea lamprey larvae. - USFWS photo by Ellie Koon

During the April 25 through Oct. 13, 2005 field season, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s sea lamprey control program treated 38 Great Lakes streams (13 in Lake Superior, 13 in Lake Huron , 10 in Lake Michigan, and  2 in Lake Erie) with lampricide to eliminate larval sea lamprey populations. 

These treatments destroyed an estimated 15,284,000 sea lampreys including about 233,300 that would have metamorphosed to the parasitic phase in 2005 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. 

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.