Lamprey

[getin]

Not sure if this year there is more lamprey on fish or I am sighting them better. Last week when casting off pier, I saw this salmon jumping over and over trying to get rid of the lamprey hanging from its belly. I thought "wish I could get the bugger off the fish"! Lone and behold, three casts later, I seem to hook into a fish, then it feels lighter, but not like the fish is entirely off so I kept reeling in and saw something at the end of my line. At first I thought it is a pike, but soon realized that I had snagged the lamprey! That was huge, at least 17 inches and was latching on anything close to i. Here is it, with my J13 that snagged it! Had to cut the lamprey in half to get my lure back as it was badly hooked.

 

[rocheleauc]

good on you dude, I hate those things.

 

[salmotrutta]

Their skin is amazingly tough, I snagged one during the first Willy run in August and had a tough time getting the hook out.

 

[CrazyFishJoe]

kill em all and let God sort them out!!! those thins make a mess of fish.!! wish they would all just die!

 

[mitchrz]

If I ever catch one of those things, it will have a date with my machete.

 

[Fishfinder78]

Hey getin i was the guy fished with you last sunday at bowmanville, that was pic you've showed me. How was the day when you left bowmanville? I went to duffins after i left at bowmanville and i hooked 8 on favorite pool but never landed one.

 

[chris f]

i think i saw a baby one of these darting around by the surface of the river back in june or july where i'm at on the detroit river it was just zooming around,first time i ever saw one only a baby guy.

 

[Blair]

You know....



Somewhere GOD CREATED the LAMPREY for a REASON!

lol



Just not HERE on OUR FISH!

*SMILES*



* "They" have families to feed too you know.....

 

[getin]

Hey getin .

It was hot. They were not hitting roe after10, but started hitting lures. I had 4 on, lost one and landed three. Then at 11 I joined my friends who were fishing in the river. Not much fun, when zillion salmon pass by and get snagged and you have to cut your line.

It was good seeing you. For sure I will see you on water

 

[DanForte]

off with their heads!

 

[Klamp]

Me and a buddy go out few weeks back and he's ribbing me for spending hundreds on a pair of waders when his only cost him $49.99.

After fishing for few hours we see this lamprey about twenty feet from us, kind of flopping around on the shore. My buddy looks at me and asks, can they bite through waders?

To which I replied, only the cheap ones!

 

[Rain-Bow]

With all this talk of eagerly destroying lampreys, I think it's worth mentioning there are also native American brook lamprey in the headwaters which are illegal to kill.

 

[Blair]

With all this talk of eagerly destroying lampreys, I think it's worth mentioning there are also native American brook lamprey in the headwaters which are illegal to kill.

The Northern Brook Lamprey (Great Lakes - Upper St. Lawrence)…a Species at Risk
The Great Lakes - Upper St. Lawrence populations of this species have been identified as Special Concern by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC). It is listed under the federal Species at Risk Act (SARA) and was afforded protection under SARA as of March 2009. Additional protection is afforded through the federal Fisheries Act. Under SARA, a management plan must be developed for this species.


General Description
Ichthyomyzon fossor

© Royal Ontario Museum

The Northern Brook Lamprey (Ichthyomyzon fossor) is a non-parasitic species in the genus Ichthyomyzon. It can be distinguished from other lamprey species within its Canadian range by its comparatively small size, single dorsal fin and its unique teeth patterns. It is a member of the family Petromyzontidae and has the following characteristics:

• Eel-like appearance with smooth, scale-less skin;
• Small eyes;
• Teeth are small and knob-like; endolateral teeth are unicuspid;
• Single, continuous dorsal fin;
• Seven pairs of gill openings;
• Adults are dark greyish brown on the back and sides, pale grey or silvery white on the belly;
• Post-spawning colouration becomes slate blue to black on the back and sides, and white or whitish grey on the belly;
• Pre-spawning females may have an orange- tinted belly, through which the eggs may be visible; and
• Adults can reach 160 mm in length; average length from the Great Lakes is 127 mm.

Distribution
In the United States, the distribution of the Northern Brook Lamprey includes Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Pennyslvania, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. In Canada, this fish occurs in Ontario, southwestern Quebec and southeastern Manitoba, a distribution that comprises two freshwater biogeographic areas: Great Lakes - Upper St. Lawrence and Saskatchewan - Nelson. Specimens have been found in tributaries to lakes Nipissing, Superior, Huron, and Erie, as well as in the Winnipeg, Ottawa and St. Lawrence rivers. The distribution of four other lamprey species overlaps with the Northern Brook Lamprey in Canada.


Northern Brook Lamprey Distribution

Habitat and Life History
The Northern Brook Lamprey is a freshwater fish that is found in clear streams of varying sizes. It has two stages of development: larval and adult. Once hatched, larvae (ammocoetes) drift downstream where they burrow in soft substrate. Larvae do not have eyes or teeth and, instead of a sucker mouth, they have an oral hood. They live for up to seven years burrowed in the sediment, eventually metamorphosing into juveniles, which emerge, attach to the stream bottom and swim periodically. During transformation to juveniles, the oral hood becomes a buccal mouth with teeth. Adults live for only four to six months before spawning and dying. Spawning habitat usually includes a swift current and coarse gravel or rocky substrate, with which males construct inconspicuous nests.


Diet
The larval fish are filter-feeders, consuming organic detritus, algae, protozoans, bacteria and pollen. Adults do not have a functional alimentary canal and do not feed during their short adult life.


Threats
The use of lampricide for the control of the invasive Sea Lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) has resulted in reductions in Northern Brook Lamprey populations around the Great Lakes where the two fishes coexist. Additional threats to the Northern Brook Lamprey include pollution and changes in water levels and temperature.


Similar Species
The Sea Lamprey and American Brook Lamprey (Lampetra appendix) are distinguished from the Northern Brook Lamprey by their two dorsal fins. The adult Chestnut Lamprey (Ichthyomyzon castaneus) and Silver Lamprey (I. unicuspis) are distinguishable by their sharper and longer teeth.

Text Sources: COSEWIC Status Report 2007.

Back to Details


<a name="Brook_Lampreys_">
Brook Lampreys
Two species of brook lamprey are found in the Thames watershed. The American Brook Lamprey (Lampetra appendix) has been recorded in about half a dozen locations scattered throughout our area. Like our native Brook Trout, this species seems to require water temperatures that remain cool, rarely going above 22º C. As such it is a good indicator of coldwater conditions and streams where trout may persist or where trout re-introduction may be a possibility.

Until a few years ago, only very dated (1884, 1931, 1974) and suspect Thames records existed for the Northern Brook Lamprey (Ichthyomyzon fossor). In 2004, a population of this species, considered a “Special Concern” species at risk federally and provincially, was discovered in a South Thames River tributary near London. Further sampling has confirmed the presence of an apparently stable population.

Brook lampreys’ reputation suffers from their superficial similarity and distant relationship to the Sea Lamprey, a very destructive invasive species that attacks Great Lakes gamefish and was largely responsible for the widespread Lake Trout decline. Unlike their relatives, brook lamprey are non-parasitic. For most of their lives they are blind larvae, emerging occasionally from their tunnels in soft stream substrates to feed on algae and organic debris. After five to seven years they change into the adult form, spawn, and die.
Although little is known about brook lamprey biology, American Brook Lamprey are likely a significant component of coldwater aquatic ecosystems, while Northern Brook Lamprey play a similar role in warmwater systems.

Brook lampreys are similar in shape to eels, and have a series of uncovered round gill openings on the sides of the head, behind their eyes, and a single nostril on the upper surface of the head. Pictured is the American Brook Lamprey.

The Northern Brook Lamprey is a small, non-parasitic lamprey with small eyes and seven pairs of gill openings. It has a dark greyish brown back and sides, and a pale grey or silvery white belly. (Photo: Lucas Foerster)

 

[Bass-o-matic]

Believe it or not, Lamprey used to be a medieval delicacy! I saw this on Discovery channel or Food Network or something....

 

[youngangler09]

killed one on the credit wednesday

 

[manitoubass2]

the ones we have on the Rainy River look quite abit different. No eyes (I don't think)

If you snag one, good luck getting your lure out, man that skin is unreal tough!!!!

 

[NADO]

it says the native lampreys are non parasitic so that must mean that if you land a fish with a lamprey on it then its probably an invasive lamprey.

 

[manitoubass2]

it says the native lampreys are non parasitic so that must mean that if you land a fish with a lamprey on it then its probably an invasive lamprey.

I'm no expert, but I don't think thats the case at all.

When I started either snagging them, or having them attached to fish (in nw ontario), I called the MNR, took pics etc. They came down and looked, and said it was indeed native.

I could be wrong here, but I believe it was sea lampreys they were concerned about??? I think the ones I've seen were silver lamprey? Again, I could be totally wrong, as this was a few years back

 

[manitoubass2]

it says the native lampreys are non parasitic so that must mean that if you land a fish with a lamprey on it then its probably an invasive lamprey.

I'm no expert, but I don't think thats the case at all.

When I started either snagging them, or having them attached to fish (in nw ontario), I called the MNR, took pics etc. They came down and looked, and said it was indeed native.

I could be wrong here, but I believe it was sea lampreys they were concerned about??? I think the ones I've seen were silver lamprey? Again, I could be totally wrong, as this was a few years back

 

[sunny14]

I'm no expert, but I don't think thats the case at all.

When I started either snagging them, or having them attached to fish (in nw ontario), I called the MNR, took pics etc. They came down and looked, and said it was indeed native.

I could be wrong here, but I believe it was sea lampreys they were concerned about??? I think the ones I've seen were silver lamprey? Again, I could be totally wrong, as this was a few years back

manitoubass2: I believe you are correct. It IS The Sea Lamprey that is/has been causing the concern.

It is considered to be an "Invasive Species."

The "Silver Lamprey" is indeed "Native" and considered to be "NON Invasive".

Info below came from MNR. Except for the "Range Map", it came from "ontariofishes.ca" Same place Blair got his from.

Rick