Sterile Male Release Program

The Sterile Male Release Technique is an example of how sea lamprey management is moving toward integrated pest management. The Sterile Male Facility is located at the Hammond Bay Biological Station near Rogers City, Michigan. Laboratory and field studies of the Sterile Male Release Technique were conducted from 1971-83 with bisazir being determined to be the best sterilant. In 1991, experimental implementation of the technique was conducted. Sterilized male sea lampreys are presently being released into the St. Mary's River connecting lakes Superior and Huron. Depending on factors such as abundance of spawning areas, stream complexity, and abundance of spawning sea lampreys, it is estimated that larval sea lamprey populations could be reduced by as much as 70% in a river.

Adult male sea lampreys are captured at permanent traps located at dams on the Manistique, Cheboygan and St. Mary's rivers and portable traps located at dams on various smaller rivers. They are transported in fish trucks to the Sterile Male Facility, where they are injected with the sterilant, bisazir. The sterilized male sea lampreys are held in tanks prior to being trucked to the release stream.

Inserting sea lamprey into injector (Photo by U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service staff)

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