Vermont Fish and Wildlife is asking anglers and the public to leave sea lamprey alone as the fish enter their annual spawning season in the Connecticut River.
Sea lamprey are eel-like fish with a circular mouth they use to attach to rocks and other fish. They are native to the Connecticut River basin and return each spring to spawn, according to a department news release. After living in the ocean as juveniles and adults, they return to freshwater to reproduce, traveling as far north as the Wilder Dam and entering tributaries such as the White and Black rivers.
The lamprey die shortly after spawning, and their carcasses provide important nutrients to the river. Police are asking the public not to disturb either live or dead lamprey.
Sea lamprey are listed as a “Species of Greatest Conservation Need” in both Vermont and New Hampshire.
Originally reported by NHPR.
Photo: Tichnor Brothers, Publisher (Wikimedia Commons, Public domain). Photo is illustrative and not from the scene.
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