BUFFALO, N.Y. — The public is invited to an information meeting May 24 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Northwestern High School cafeteria, 200 Harthan Way in Albion, Pennsylvania, for area residents and stakeholders along Conneaut Creek to learn more about a study of potential barriers for the invasive sea lamprey.
A barrier would prevent or significantly reduce the numbers of sea lamprey from reaching nearly 50 river miles of Conneaut Creek where they currently reproduce and mature before returning to Lake Erie.
Representatives from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Buffalo District, Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, Great Lakes Fishery Commission, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, Pennsylvania Sea Grant, and Ohio Department of Natural Resources Attendees are asked to RSVP to ConneautCreekGLFER@usace.army.mil prior to the meeting.
Sea lampreys are primitive fish that feed on the body fluids of other fish. Native to the Atlantic Ocean, these parasitic fish entered the Great Lakes through man-made shipping canals and quickly colonized the entire Great Lakes. Sea lampreys are an incredibly destructive invasive species, capable of killing up to 40 pounds of fish every year.
This project is being executed under the Corps of Engineers’ Great Lakes Fishery Ecosystem Restoration program, and is cost-shared between the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Great Lakes Fishery Commission.
The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative provides the federal funding. The study is investigating the feasibility of implementing a permanent sea lamprey control barrier in Conneaut Creek, Pennsylvania.
Visit lrd.usace.army.mil/Home/Great-Lakes-Fishery-Ecosystem-Restoration-Program/ for more information on the program.
