Belleisle Bay, NB – Sea Lampreys have been seen returning to this New Brunswick waterway to get at it, and lay eggs at the end of their 14-year lifecycle.
Lampreys are fish that are often mistakenly identified as eels. Like many people, they look completely harmless until they open their mouths.
Marc Gaden is communications director and legislative liaison for the Great Lakes Fishery Commission, and offers insider information about the predators.
“Lampreys have numerous teeth, and a tongue that has teeth too, Gaden offered timidly. “They latch onto their prey then drill into the host to access its nutrients.”
When these predator fish get into the Great Lakes, their prey is much more susceptible.
The meekly mannered Gaden added, “Yes, the smaller fish of the inland lakes are generally smaller, and cannot withstand the Lamprey parasite.”
Asked for evidence of the Lamprey effect on the Great lakes Fishery, Gaden shyly suggested, “A single Lamprey can kill 10 kilograms of fish in a year!”
Unexpectedly, Gaden suggested a lamprey “parlour game”.
“Lampreys will latch, but not bore into warm-blooded creatures,” Gaden offered sheepishly. “Here try it!”
As the interview was about to end, someone in the assembled press corps farted, and Gaden lost his composure.
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