John Tibbles, Department of Fisheries Oceans Canada (in blue) and Ron Cloutier, Biological Technician, Ludington Biological Station apply lampricides to the Rifle River. - Photo by Ellie Koon

On September 20, 15 staff members from Fisheries and Oceans, Canada, crossed the border to join 17 staff of the Ludington Biological Station and 22 members of the Marquette Biological Station for a lampricide treatment of the Rifle River. The Canadians are based at the Sea Lamprey Control Centre in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario.

The Rifle River, in Michigan’s Ogemaw and Arenac counties, is a designated state Natural River and is one of the Lower Peninsula’s most popular recreational streams.  It is home to bald eagles, as well as lake sturgeons and other protected species of fish, turtles, and mussels.

Given its excellent water quality, outstanding habitat and the fact that there are few dams on the system, the Rifle River is one of the most complex and difficult streams to treat with lampricide.  In years past, it was treated piecemeal, tributary by tributary, because personnel available in both offices of the Service's Sea Lamprey Management Program were insufficient to treat it as a whole.  Treating all tributaries of a stream synchronously requires more staff and greater expertise, but is it is more effective and uses much less lampricide.

In recent years, Canadian field crews have helped with two other very large Michigan treatments, including the Big Manistee and Manistique rivers, as well as the Grand River in Ohio.  They have also been solely responsible for treatments of several streams in the Michigan’s eastern Upper Peninsula. Canadian Sea Lamprey Control Centre staff hold pesticide applicator certifications in Michigan, New York, and Ohio. Their cheerful assistance allows the Great Lakes Fishery Commission to optimize effort directed to sea lamprey control across the Great Lakes.