The invasion of the Sea Lamprey
They kept on coming in, connected to trout and salmon. They are the blood sucking fish killing SEA LAMPREY, featured in a display at the 36th annual Owen Sound SALMON SPECTACULAR derby.
All week anglers of the Derby have been bringing in fish with lamprey attached or lamprey they had pulled from fish they caught.
Sea lampreys are parasitic pests that attach to fish with their suction mouth and teeth using their tongue to rasp through a fish’s scales and skin so they can feed on its blood. For every seven fish attacked by lamprey, six will die. During its lifetime, a single sea lamprey will destroy up to 18 kgs (40 lbs.) of fish and each female lamprey will lay about 100,000 eggs. A disaster to Great Lakes fish.
The Great Lakes Fishery Commission (Commission) will be hosting the Owen Sound premiere of the award-winning documentary film, THE FISH THIEF: A Great Lakes Mystery on Friday August 30th at 7:00 p.m at Galaxy Cinemas in Owen Sound, Ontario. The event is free and open to the public.
THE FISH THIEF, narrated by Oscar-winner J.K. Simmons, is a film that tells the remarkable true story of the fight to save the Great Lakes fishery from one of the most destructive species: the sea lamprey. The sea lamprey’s incursion into the Great Lakes in the mid-1900s decimated populations of lake trout, whitefish, and other species that were integral to the region’s economy and way of life. The crash destroyed jobs and businesses, devastating towns, tribal communities, and First Nations in Canada and the United States. In the face of the destruction, a tenacious group of scientists fought back and worked for years, tirelessly searching for a way to control the marine villain. What they discovered continues to influence the Great Lakes region’s economic fortunes and sounds a warning about the future of natural resources and the prosperity of millions around the world today.
THE FISH THIEF is a result of nearly eight years of production. Filming took place across the entire Great Lakes region in Canada and the United States with the help and cooperation of tribal communities and First Nations, fisheries biologists, Great Lakes historians, natural resource agencies, conservation and environmental organizations, sport fishing organizations and concerned citizens. Director Lindsey Haskin also took cameras offshore in Canadian and American waters on scientific research ships, commercial fishing gill net tugs and trap net boats, and private craft helmed by passionate sport anglers.
“THE FISH THIEF is particularly meaningful to this part of the Great Lakes region and to those who are part of the Owen Sound Salmon Spectacular,” said Marc Gaden, the Commission’s executive secretary. “Without sea lamprey control, there would be few whitefish or other species that, today, are so important to local fisheries. There would be no salmon to catch and no Salmon Spectacular. The Great Lakes as a whole would be a mere shadow of the $7 billion resource we enjoy today.”
While THE FISH THIEF has been selected for, and shown at, numerous festivals and exclusive public screenings like this provide the public the ability to catch a glimpse at this exciting story before it is widely released. Learn more about the film and see the trailer at https://skyhoundmedia.com/.
“It is clear without the continuing efforts of the Great Lakes Fishery Commission, we would not have sports or commercial fisheries in our Great Lakes,” says Stu Paterson of Paterson Media and member of the Bruce Peninsula Sportsmen’s Association (BPSA).
The 300-member Wiarton based Bruce Peninsula Sportsmen’s Association (BPSA) supports the commission’s battle against lamprey. As does the Sydenham Sportsmen Association which mounts the Salmon Spectacular. Each year volunteers at the display help spread news about this invasive and the campaign to keep lamprey populations down.
The Great Lakes Fishery Commission was established in 1955 by the Canadian/U.S. Convention on Great Lakes Fisheries. The commission coordinates fisheries research, controls the invasive sea lamprey, and facilitates cooperative fishery management among state, provincial, tribal, and federal agencies.
