Sea Lamprey ⚠ Invasive
🔬 Petromyzon marinus
An eel-like jawless fish with a sucker mouth ringed with sharp, rasping teeth. Attaches to large fish and feeds on blood and body fluids, leaving distinctive circular wounds. Not a true eel -- a primitive jawless vertebrate unchanged for 340 million years. The primary reason Great Lakes fisheries nearly collapsed in the mid-20th century. Not a sport fish, but understanding sea lamprey is essential context for every Michigan angler.
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Where to Catch Sea Lamprey in Michigan
| Lake | County | Population |
|---|---|---|
|
Burt Lake
17,120 acres
|
Cheboygan | |
|
Cheboygan Lake
640 acres
|
Cheboygan | |
|
Indian Lake
8,689 acres
|
Schoolcraft | |
|
Lake Gogebic
13,380 acres
|
Gogebic | |
|
Lake Michigamme
4,149 acres
|
Marquette | |
|
Lake St. Clair
260,000 acres
|
Macomb | |
|
Mullett Lake
16,630 acres
|
Cheboygan | |
|
Muskegon Lake
4,150 acres
|
Muskegon | |
|
Muskegon Lake
4,150 acres
|
Muskegon |
Sea Lamprey Conservation Status
⚠ Invasive Sea Lamprey is considered an invasive species in Michigan. The most ecologically damaging invasive species in Great Lakes history. Entered through the Welland Canal by the 1930s. By the 1950s-60s had reduced lake trout populations by over 90% and devastated lake whitefish, burbot, and other species. The Great Lakes Fishery Commission's control program -- using targeted lampricides in tributaries and barrier dams -- has reduced populations by ~90% since 1956, allowing lake trout recovery. Annual control cost: ~$20 million. Michigan anglers fund this through fishing license fees.
Sea Lamprey Habitat & Behavior
Spawns in cold, gravel-bottomed streams throughout Michigan in spring. Larvae (ammocoetes) burrow in stream sediment for 4-7 years before transforming and migrating to the Great Lakes where they parasitize large fish for 12-20 months. DNR records show Sea Lamprey present in 9 Michigan water bodies.
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