Lamprey Beware

Sea lamprey have another high-tech enemy - a state-of-the-art boat that utilizes technology borrowed from agriculture.

The $180,000 specialized 24-foot craft, operated by the Sea Lamprey Control Centre, applies liquid and granular lampricides at the mouths of and in large rivers, such as the St. Mary's between Lakes Superior and Huron.

Special ordered, the design process began two years ago when Indiana-based Lestner's Aquatic Services, a manufacturer of boats that spray liquid herbicide into ponds, was challenged to create a system to deliver Bayluscide, a coated granular lampricide that sinks and dissolves about five minutes after it hits the water.

The resulting injection system protects the product in transit and mixes the Bayluscide with water a split-second before it's pumped into a sprayer arm and applied, utilizing the same GPS technology farmers use to evenly apply fertilizer. Sensors keep the chemical concentration constant as the boat's speed varies, and if the boat leaves the application grid, the applicator shuts off and it returns to the part of the grid that wasn't covered before.

Other benefits are wider coverage (36 feet) in one pass, faster application, and a payload of 1,200 pounds of Bayluscide - six times that of old boats. Plots in the St. Mary's River that took two months to complete can now be done in two weeks. With the treatment applied more evenly and quicker, there's less chance of lamprey larvae escaping. Stephens says, without a doubt, the technology will result in fewer lamprey.