Anti-Lamprey Spraying In Van Buren County

river
river

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is applying lampricides to the Campbell Creek system in Van Buren County for about the next week. They started last Tuesday and will continue through this coming Thursday. Administrator Scott Grunder tells WSJM News the goal is to fight the invasive sea lamprey, an effort that has been underway for about 60 years. The service applied lampricide to the Paw Paw River in Van Buren County last year, and Grunder says next week’s operation is related. He tells us the sea lamprey are a threat to Great Lakes fish.

“They will emerge from the bottom of the river, move downstream into the lake, and start feeding on things like lake trout or salmon or steel head or other fish that we value greatly,” Grunder said. “Each one of those lamprey can kill upwards of 20 to 40 pounds of fish during their lifetime.”

Grunder says when the Fish and Wildlife Service applies the lampricide, the water will turn a yellow-green color for about a week. Grunder says the lampricide is not harmful to humans, but children and pets shouldn’t be allowed in the creek.