The St Mary's River Like the Niagara River provide all the elements for successful lamprey spawning. Both rivers are so large with tremendous water volumes they are almost impossible to treat with lampricide. The GLC is planning to treat the St Mary's River as a stop gap measure until they complete their sterile male program.

The sterile male program is designed to introduce sterile male lamprey into the spawning community and it is believed that they will slowly reduce the lamprey population through natural mortality. Once the tables are turned and fewer spawners are actually reproducing the numbers will drop significantly.

On several recent Lake Huron trips I was astonished at the numbers of scarred fish. More shocking was the numbers of steelhead with fresh large open wounds. The steelhead quota in Lake Huron was reduced to 2 fish per day but unless the governments take action on the lamprey problems in the northern half of the lake the reduction in quota will be futile.

Government cutbacks have curtailed the Great Lakes Advisory Committee Lamprey program and several years ago the funding was so low that they considered letting the entire northern Great Lakes go untreated and only treat Lake Ontario.

Fortunately saner heads prevailed and the funding was reestablished.  Addition funding is needed to treat the St Mary's and Niagara Rivers. Anglers must unite and make it known to their respect members of parliament that the funding must be increased! We must have the funding to utilize the tools necessary to control the sea lamprey!

Our very important salmon fishery depends on it!