Thursday, 27 October 2016

WALLEYE Decline - the Sea Lamprey Control Factor

From The Status of Walleye in Nipigon Bay Area of Concern: 2012

Prepared for Environment Canada
By: Terry Marshall, Marshall Consulting
March 31, 2013


Sea Lamprey Control


 

An electric barrier on the Jackfish River was operated by the Sea Lamprey Control Center for three years beginning in 1959.  Besides restricting walleye and other fish from moving up the river, it also caused direct mortality with an estimate of 700 walleye killed during its first year of operation alone [R. Ryder pers. Comm., cited in Wilson 1991]

It is unknown how the use of lampricide in later years affected walleye, although there were reports of significant mortality of many different species of fish in the Nipigon and Jackfish rivers following lampricide treatments in the 1960s and 1970s [Wilson 1991]. While early life stages of walleye are thought to be considerably more resistant than sea lamprey ammocoetes to TFM lampricide [Seelye et al 1987]. Recent kills of post spawning adult walleye have been reported following TFM treatment [McChesney 2008; Preddice 2009].

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