Electrofishing
Photo by U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
Larval Assessments
Larval assessments are conducted to monitor abundance of larval sea lampreys in tributary streams and in some offshore areas of the Great Lakes. The information from these assessments is used by staff to rank streams for treatment and to recommend appropriate locations for the application of lampricides.
Backpack electro-fishers are used in shallow waters to determine the abundance of larval sea lampreys. This equipment delivers electricity to the stream water and stimulates the larvae out of their burrows. In deep, turbid or hard to reach waters, larvae are stimulated to the surface using a deep-water electro-fisher or with a granular formulation of the lampricide Bayluscide.
Using newer technologies, such as geographic positioning systems (GPS) and geographic information systems (GIS), distribution of larvae can now be more precisely measured and mapped to target control efforts.
