LAKE INFORMATION ARCHIVE

 

LAKE CHAMPLAIN FISH AND WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT COOPERATIVE PRESS RELEASE

    United States Fish and Wildlife Service

    New York State Department of Environmental Conservation

    Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department

 Release Date: March 14, 2007 

Contact: Dave Tilton (USFWS) 802-872-0629        
             John Hall (VTDFW) 802-241-3700           
             David Winchell (NYSDEC) 518-897-1211

 

LAKE CHAMPLAIN SEA LAMPREY CONTROL SUMMIT TO BE HELD APRIL 11
Public is Invited to Attend and Participate

  The Lake Champlain Fish and Wildlife Management Cooperative today announced that it will sponsor a one-day summit on sea lamprey control in Lake Champlain on April 11, 2007 at the Sheraton Hotel and Conference Center in Burlington, Vermont.  The Cooperative will report on the status of sea lamprey control efforts in Lake Champlain and seek public input on the future of administering sea lamprey control.

  The Cooperative is maximizing the opportunity for the public to participate by holding the summit in two  sessions - one in the afternoon from 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM and a second in the evening from 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM.  Both sessions will provide overviews and opportunities for comments from participants.  However, the afternoon session will focus on identifying the future direction of sea lamprey control, while the evening session will focus on the details of the direction identified.

  “The restoration of land locked salmon and lake trout to Lake Champlain is one of the ecological success stories of the late 20th century,” said Marvin Moriarty, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Northeast Regional Director and Chairman of the Cooperative.  “A key element of this effort has been and will continue to be control of the parasitic sea lamprey.  This summit will help determine how this program is administered in the future.”

  Securing a stable source of funding for control efforts is a key issue that will be addressed by summit participants.  A consistent and concerted lamprey control effort is essential to the continued recovery of the Lake Champlain recreational fishery and ecosystem.

  The Cooperative, a partnership formed over three decades ago by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the states of New York and Vermont, has led the effort to restore the landlocked Atlantic salmon and lake trout in the Lake. 

  As a result of habitat destruction, unregulated fishing, and sea lamprey parasitism, these species could no longer be found in Lake Champlain by the late 1800s. Today, through stocking and sea lamprey control efforts, Lake Champlain boasts a recreational fishery with an estimated annual economic impact of more than $200 million.

  The University of Vermont conducted a number of economic studies in the late 1990s, and determined that at that time the landlocked Atlantic salmon fishery alone was estimated to be worth $54 million annually. Also, sea lamprey control was found to generate an estimated $42 million in increased fishing-related expenditures and an additional 1.2 million days of fishing annually.

  The Cooperative’s work currently centers on 21 rivers and several associated deltas throughout the Lake Champlain Basin.  A variety of methods are used to control the sea lamprey population.  Specific chemicals, known as lampricides, are used to selectively target sea lamprey larvae.  Specialized barriers that block adult sea lamprey from reaching their spawning grounds in the Lake’s tributaries have been built or repaired.  Traps are set in the spring to capture adult sea lamprey migrating up tributaries to spawn.

  The Cooperative is requesting all participants to register before April 1.  Although there is no charge, this will ensure that enough seating and refreshments are available.  Additional information about sea lamprey control, the summit, and registration materials, can be found at www.ChamplainLamprey.org or by calling the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service at 802-872-0629. 

5th International Northern Lake Coalition Event
and
Lake Champlain Basin Program Public Meeting

Saturday August 12, 2006

North Hero Marina
Pelots Point Road, North Hero, Vermont

12:00 P.M. to 4:00  P.M.

Hosted by the Northern Lake Champlain Advisory Committee
and North Hero Marina
Oranges in the North Lake
ih.constantcontact.co/63302DD3The Lake Champlain Valley has sometimes been called the Banana Belt in comparison to the higher elevation mountains surrounding it. Nonetheless, oranges floating around the lake should raise eyebrows. A crate of oranges was dumped into Missisquoi Bay by Dr. Greg Boyer of the College of Environmental Science and Forestry at the State University of New York in Syracuse. He’s trying to understand surface currents in the area and how they might impact algae blooms.

 
"Oranges are biodegradable and they float right on the surface just like algae, so they are good markers for how the algae travel," he said.

 
Each orange is numbered and marked with the Lake Champlain Research Institute phone number. Anyone finding an orange in the lake or on shore should call with information about the time and location of their finding.

 
Lake Champlain Committee ~ 106 Main Street, STE 200 ~ Burlington, VT 05401

email: www.lcc@lakechamplaincommittee.org
phone: (802) 658-1414
web: http://www.lakechamplaincommittee.org
Photo Credits:
Water Chestnuts - Pixey Caney; Blue green algae on rocks - Mary Watzin; Oranges - morguefile.com; Closed to swimming image - Waukesha County Park System

Credits: sent by Hardy Machia 7/25/06...also on the Local news 7/23/06