Cayuga Lamprey

[lyteline]

I spoke with The DEC last week about the problem at the south end.I was told that the lamprey successfully spawned in 2007.They remain in the streams for 4 yr and then are a parasite.

This is where we are at now.The eels then die. I was told that next season there will be little or no eels left.....Zeke & Cyn(Strike 3)

[ Post made via iPhone ]

[stinger]

I spoke with The DEC last week about the problem at the south end.I was told that the lamprey successfully spawned in 2007.They remain in the streams for 4 yr and then are a parasite.

This is where we are at now.The eels then die. I was told that next season there will be little or no eels left.....Zeke & Cyn(Strike 3)

........especially after I cut threir heads off

[Billy V]

Here's their official statement on lampreys this year - taken from the 2011 Cayuga Lake Angler Diary report:

"Incidence of sea lamprey attacks on lake trout in the 2011 survey was very low. One wound and

one mark were observed on the 46 lake trout in a 23.6 inch to 25.6 inch index group. This was

well below our target level for lamprey wounding on lake trout in this length interval. Sea

lamprey wounding on Cayuga Lake salmonids continues to be low, but there will be a noticeable

increase in wounds in 2012 because a fairly large year class of lampreys, born in Cayuga Inlet in

2007, has begun entering Cayuga Lake as parasitic adults. We have opted to “ride this out†and

not do an expensive lampricide treatment because we anticipate the impacts to the lake fishery

will not be as extensive as in the past. Although there are relatively abundant young sea

lampreys (ammocoetes) in Cayuga Inlet, our assessments indicate they are not as abundant as

they were prior to our treatments in 1986 and 1996 (see graph on next page). In addition, the

size of the juvenile lampreys varies depending on the habitat they are in, which means their

migration to the lake occurs over a few years, rather than all at once. Given this, we expect that

the fishery should be able to absorb the impacts of this lamprey year class with far less mortality

of trout and salmon than we experienced in the past. What remains to be determined, however,

is the abundance of sea lamprey larvae resulting from upstream escapement of spawning lamprey

during a high water event in the Inlet in spring 2011."

Personally, I think that there is a far worse lamprey problem than they think there is.

[Skippers Trophy 01]

Here's their official statement on lampreys this year - taken from the 2011 Cayuga Lake Angler Diary report:

"Incidence of sea lamprey attacks on lake trout in the 2011 survey was very low. One wound and

one mark were observed on the 46 lake trout in a 23.6 inch to 25.6 inch index group. This was

well below our target level for lamprey wounding on lake trout in this length interval. Sea

lamprey wounding on Cayuga Lake salmonids continues to be low, but there will be a noticeable

increase in wounds in 2012 because a fairly large year class of lampreys, born in Cayuga Inlet in

2007, has begun entering Cayuga Lake as parasitic adults. We have opted to “ride this out†and

not do an expensive lampricide treatment because we anticipate the impacts to the lake fishery

will not be as extensive as in the past. Although there are relatively abundant young sea

lampreys (ammocoetes) in Cayuga Inlet, our assessments indicate they are not as abundant as

they were prior to our treatments in 1986 and 1996 (see graph on next page). In addition, the

size of the juvenile lampreys varies depending on the habitat they are in, which means their

migration to the lake occurs over a few years, rather than all at once. Given this, we expect that

the fishery should be able to absorb the impacts of this lamprey year class with far less mortality

of trout and salmon than we experienced in the past. What remains to be determined, however,

is the abundance of sea lamprey larvae resulting from upstream escapement of spawning lamprey

during a high water event in the Inlet in spring 2011."

Personally, I think that there is a far worse lamprey problem than they think there is.

Agreed here.

[bandrus1]

have caught dozens of fish this year... only 3-4 were clean and many had multiple on them.... its bad