DULUTH, Minn. — Invasive, parasitic sea lampreys continue to hunt and kill Lake Superior fish above the levels biologists would like to see, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic caused parts of two summer seasons to be lost in the never-ending battle against the eel-like creatures.
Lake Superior now has an estimated 108,000 lampreys, a three-year rolling average, far above the goal of 48,000 lampreys set by the Great Lakes Fishery Commission.
Sea lampreys feed on the blood and body fluids of fish by attaching to them with a tooth-filled, suction-cup mouth. They file a hole through the fish's scales and skin with a razor-sharp tongue. They eventually fall off, but the trauma is sometimes too much for the fish to survive.
