NEWS RELEASE
GREAT LAKES FISHERY COMMISSION
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A tank of live invasive sea lampreys — the vampires of the Great Lakes — will visit the Midland Tall Ships Festival from July 22 through July 24.
Brave souls who wish to get up close and personal with the lampreys — including those who wish to see the famous mouth with sharp teeth and file-like tongue — are invited to visit. In addition to commission staff, experts from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Sea Lamprey Control crews will be on hand to discuss the Great Lakes, sea lampreys, and sea lamprey control.
Sea lampreys invaded the Great Lakes through shipping canals in the early 20th century and quickly became, and remain, the most destructive invasive species in the Great Lakes, killing six out of seven fish they attack.
Sea lampreys use their lethal mouth to bore a hole through the side of fish and feed off of the fish’s blood and bodily fluids. Each sea lamprey kills up to 18 kilograms (40 pounds) of fish in 12 to 18 months, causing significant ecosystem disruptions and threatening the $7-billion Great Lakes’ fishery. Before sea lamprey control began in the 1950s, the invaders killed more than 100 million pounds of Great Lakes fish annually, five times the commercial catch in the upper Great Lakes.
Today, control has knocked back sea lamprey populations by 90 per cent in most areas of the Great Lakes, allowing for a thriving fishery. Control of sea lamprey has been ongoing since 1958, conducted by the Great Lakes Fishery Commission and its partners, Fisheries and Oceans Canada and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, who treat streams where sea lampreys live as larvae before they prey on fish in the open lake. Without sea lamprey control, Canada and the U.S. would not have the fishery we enjoy today.
The sea lamprey booth is sponsored by the Great Lakes Fishery Commission. Visitors to the booth can get information about sea lampreys and sea lamprey control and other free materials for kids and adults.
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