lamprey sightings

[fenwickfisher]

its that time of year where the lamprey is starting to spawn....i saw 3 the other day caught one and killed it and disposed of it properly but my question is if i see them am i supposed to report the sighting to mnr?

 

[Dozer]

Not sure about lampreys.

 

[fenwickfisher]

That was a big help thanks tc Lol work that post count haha

 

[Giuga10]

Yea report it.

 

[Alfiegee]

You can report, but I think the mnr know where they spawn and have been taking measures for years.

Alfie.

 

[floatfishing]

I would be mailing them to her Majesty, there might be a Knighthood in it for you..you will need enough to make a pie however.

 

[Shepp]

G10, I wouldn't waste my time reporting it. My first report to the Ministry about lamprey was over 30 yrs ago. I received zero info on the creature or what I should do with it. And Alfie, I doubt the MNR has been taking measures on anything for some time. They keep telling me the American Eel is an endangered species. Not up this way! A buddy and me have made numerous reports with absolutely no response. Just caught my second eel of the year tdy, dam near 4' long. I'm sure I'll be good for another 8-10 this yr, Yeah for me!!! Lamprey are a parasite, just like mosquitoes, ticks, leaches, or weeds. If you'll swat a mosquito, or squeesh a tick, or pull a weed, well ya know.

 

[fenwickfisher]

called the ministry they basiically told me that the lamprey population has decreased almost 90%(not sure if i believe this or not) and that they will never fully get rid of them...so they told me if you catch one you can kill it but it has to be disposed of properly as you can get fined for leaving it streamside

 

[NADO]

lol so they'll dump lampricide in the river to kill them off but if you kill one and leave it riverside you can get a fine?

 

[Shmogley]

make sure they are not brook lamprey who also finish up their spawn this time of year. they are incredibly efficient filter feeders and a strong part of a clean water ecosystem and out of the 3 native species we have here (american brook, silver, northern brook) only silver lamprey actually live as parasites and even then do not harm fish near as much as the terrible sea lamprey problem we have in the great lakes. they mostly target catfish and sturgeon and not to a level of harming the fish's lifestyle.
they all get a bad rap because of their trout killing brothers the sea lamprey. and i always see people killing the wrong kind without a blink.
that's the same kind of limited foresight mindset that harmed our fisheries in the first place.

its hard to tell them apart without examining close up.

so make sure its a sea lamprey or you're killing a harmless and important species. and don't report them if you don't know how to identify. they'll most likely end up using lampricide on the whole system and that's a blanket kill of all creatures that have simple rather then complex metabolism.

 

[flandogg]

make sure they are not brook lamprey who also finish up their spawn this time of year. they are incredibly efficient filter feeders and a strong part of a clean water ecosystem and out of the 3 native species we have here (american brook, silver, northern brook) only silver lamprey actually live as parasites and even then do not harm fish near as much as the terrible sea lamprey problem we have in the great lakes. they mostly target catfish and sturgeon and not to a level of harming the fish's lifestyle.
they all get a bad rap because of their trout killing brothers the sea lamprey. and i always see people killing the wrong kind without a blink.
that's the same kind of limited foresight mindset that harmed our fisheries in the first place.

its hard to tell them apart without examining close up.

so make sure its a sea lamprey or you're killing a harmless and important species. and don't report them if you don't know how to identify. they'll most likely end up using lampricide on the whole system and that's a blanket kill of all creatures that have simple rather then complex metabolism.

Thanks for the tip Shmogley, sustainable ecosystems for the win.