Sea Lampreys the Vampires of the Great Lakes
The horror story of the sea lamprey invasion has been repeated throughout the Great Lakes ever since the parasitic Atlantic Ocean native made its way through the Welland Canal and first appeared in Lake Erie in 1921. Fifteen years later the invasion had spread to Lakes Huron and Michigan, and by 1938 the sea lamprey was also calling Lake Superior home.
Lampreys have suction cup mouths they use to cling to their host and feed on blood and other bodily fluids. Their mouths are filled with rows of sharp teeth in concentric circles that help to induce the blood flow of their victims. They have no other way to live on this earth.
But, as its name implies, the sea lamprey is not from these parts. It’s an ocean parasite that normally attaches to fish and mammals much larger than our native Great Lakes fish. We can only imagine the thoughts of the first angler who caught a native fish with a sea lamprey attached to it back in the late 1930s or early 1940s.
The sea lamprey is widely regarded as the most invasive of all the invasive species to find their way into the Great Lakes. Lake trout were particularly devastated. Before the invasion, as much as 15 million pounds of lake trout were harvested annually from the Great Lakes. By the 1960s that figure dropped to 300,000 pounds. It’s estimated that half of sea lamprey attacks result in death for the host fish.
The sea lamprey has been around well before the first Earth Day in 1970. However, with the efforts and awareness brought about by Earth Day, invasive species in the Great Lakes along with control of the sea lamprey has improved greatly since the first Earth Day.
This geocache was launched at the 2019 Earth Day Marsh Cleanup event on April 27.
Crosswinds Marsh Rules
No fires
No bikes / ATVs / personal watercraft
No swimming or ice fishing
Dogs must be leashed
No alcohol or illegal substances
No camping
Fishing in designated areas only
Collecting of plants & animals prohibited
Park only at N 42 05.744 W 83 26.552
All Geocachers must follow the above rules.
Crosswinds Marsh is open from DAWN to DUSK. Admission is free.
This cache has been placed with the permissions of Wayne County Parks. Permit ED19-09 has been submitted and is on file at the park office.