U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service personnel will apply lampricides to Cattaraugus Creek in Chautauqua, Cattaraugus and Erie counties to kill sea lamprey larvae burrowed in the stream bottom. The applications will be conducted between from May 10-19, in accordance with New York State permits. Applications will be complete in about five days. Application dates are tentative and may change based upon local weather or stream conditions near the time of treatment.
Sea lamprey larvae live in certain Great Lakes tributaries and transform to parasitic adults that migrate to the Great Lakes and kill fish. Failure to kill the larvae in streams would result in significant damage to the Great Lakes fishery. Infested tributaries must be treated every three to five years with lampricides to control sea lamprey populations.
