The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will be conducting a survey of Mackinac County streams to estimate the abundance of sea lampreys in these streams. The streams to be evaluated are the Black River and Hog Island Creek (Lake Michigan area) and Carp River, Albany, Trout, Beavertail, and McKay creeks (Lake Huron area) from Tuesday, August 22, to Thursday, August 31. The information gathered will be used to determine the need for sea lamprey control.

Sea lamprey larvae hatch from eggs laid by adult lampreys in gravel nests and drift into silty bottom areas, where they burrow and live for several years. Larvae sometimes also drift out of streams and settle in the immediate offshore areas near stream mouths. Failure to detect and subsequently eliminate larvae allows the lampreys to transform into parasitic adults. The adult lampreys kill native fish.

For more information, call (800) 472-9212.