Crews with the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans will be joined by US Fish and Wildlife crews on the St Clair River next week.
The joint project will assess the number of sea lampreys in the river to help determine how to best control the invasive species.
Sea lampreys invaded the Great Lakes during the 1920s and have been a permanent, destructive element of the fishery ever since. Sea lampreys attach to fish with a suction cup mouth, rasp a hole though the fish’s scales and skin, and feed on blood and body fluids. The average sea lamprey will destroy up to 40 lbs. of fish during its parasitic phase.
The assessment crews will be patrolling the river June 12th to the 20th.