Sea lamprey control planned for Amnicon River
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DOUGLAS COUNTY U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service personnel plan to apply lampricides to the Amnicon River starting on or about Tuesday, June 6, according to a news release.
Lampricides are used to kill sea lamprey larvae burrowed in the river bed. The measure helps control the population that transforms to parasitic adults that migrate to the Great Lakes and kill fish. Failure to kill the larvae in streams would result in significant damage to the Great Lakes fishery, the news release said.
Infested tributaries must be treated every three to five years with lampricides to control sea lamprey populations.
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Northland Outdoors
By
John Myers
Lampricides are carefully metered into the stream for about 12 hours by trained and certified applicators, and continually analyzed at predetermined sites to assure that proper concentrations as the lampricides are carried downstream, according to the news release.
The U. S. Environmental Protection Agency and Health Canada Pest Management Regulatory Agency have reviewed human health and environmental safety data for lampricides and concluded they pose no unreasonable risk to the general population or the environment when applied at concentrations necessary to control larval sea lampreys.
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However, as with any pesticide, the public is advised to use discretion and minimize unnecessary exposure and people confining bait fish or other organism in the water are advised to use alternate water sources, the news release said.
Lampricides are selectively toxic to sea lampreys, but a few fish, insect and broadleaf plants are sensitive.
Agricultural irrigation must be suspended for 24 hours, during and following treatment.
Applications are expected to be complete in about nine days. Application dates are tentative and may be changed based on local weather or stream conditions near the time of treatment.
For more information, call 800-472-9212 or 800-649-3777 for TTY users.
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Wednesday, May 31, 2023 at 4:00 pm