St. Marys River Assessment
The St. Marys River continues to be a special concern system to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Fisheries and Oceans Canada. The river has the potential to contribute large number of parasitic-phase sea lampreys to northern Lake Huron. The sea lamprey population in the St. Marys River has been largely uncontrolled due to the large volume of water flowing through it and the presence of large lakes within the river system.
Efforts have been made over the past several years to quantitatively determine the abundance and distribution of sea lamprey larvae in the system. Sites are sampled along transects with the use of a deep-water shocker, while GPS equipment is used to accurately determine the location. The data is entered into a computer using GIS software, then maps showing distribution and abundance can be drawn. This information combined with a dye study conducted in 1996 was used to determine if a treatment of some type is feasible.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Fisheries and Oceans Canada are conducting a program of lampricide and alternative control technologies in the St. Marys River to aid in the rehabilitation of lake trout and other fish to northern Lake Huron and Michigan. During 1998-1999, the lampricide granular Bayluscide was applied to about 2,200 acres of the river in U.S. and Canada - areas of dense populations of sea lamprey larvae. Assessments during 1999-2000 showed these applications removed about 45% of the population of larvae in the river. An additional 110 acres were treated in Canadian waters in 2001. Assessments to evaluate the success of the treatments are ongoing.
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