Sea lamprey chemical treatment on South Sandy Creek will go on

[Spiel]

Sea lamprey chemical treatment on South Sandy Creek will go on

 

THURSDAY, APRIL 24, 2008

NANCY MADSEN, watertowndailytimes.com

 

Although about 1,500 walleye pike were found dead in Little Sandy Creek last week because of a chemical treatment for sea lampreys, plans for treatment of South Sandy Creek today will proceed.

 

Paul Sullivan, the section head for control at the Sea Lamprey Control Centre in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, said that the kill was "definitely very unusual."

 

The nuisance species control program sees some fish kill in one out of every 200 to 300 treatments. But, he said, this one was unusual because it was only male walleyes as opposed to several species. And in other cases, higher temperatures or lower pH levels have increased the toxicity of the treatment. But those factors were not present in Little Sandy Creek.

 

Treatment using the pesticide TFM has been done on Little Sandy Creek 14 times, frequently at the same time of the year as the fish kill.

 

"We were scratching our heads over that one," Mr. Sullivan said.

 

Because other walleye survived, Mr. Sullivan said, there may be other factors, such as disease, that made those fish more vulnerable.

 

Daniel L. Bishop, Region 7 fisheries manager for the state Department of Environmental Conservation, said the department has sent fish to be tested at Cornell University, Ithaca. He expects results in a few days.

 

Treatment with the pesticide TFM has been done in New York by Canada's Department of Fisheries and Oceans, which runs the center, since 1972. Teams treat about 16 streams on the eastern side of Lake Ontario on a three-year cycle to control the nuisance lamprey.

 

"Most of the streams with lamprey on the U.S. side are on the Tug Hill," Mr. Bishop said.

 

The lampricide was applied during the day Thursday and dead fish were found that evening.

 

Using pesticides to kill sea lamprey is a vital program, Mr. Bishop said.

 

"There would be no trout and salmon in Lake Ontario without sea lamprey control," he said.

 

Sea lampreys attach themselves to the bodies of fish and feed on the fish's body fluids, which often leads to death for the fish. But as larvae, the lampreys are vulnerable to TFM for three years before they become adults.

 

Mr. Sullivan said the lamprey primarily target trout and salmon species, but will "almost feed on anything."

 

The TFM treatments have been effective in bringing the sea lamprey numbers down, from an estimated 1.5 million in 1971 to a current target of 30,000.

 

"We've had great success in Lake Ontario," Mr. Sullivan said. "Due to the treatments, we have a vibrant salmon fishery."