Treatment of East Bay, Alger County, Michigan, with toxaphene for control of sea lampreys

Abstract

An experiment was conducted to determine whether toxaphene can be used to eradicate lake-dwelling sea lampreys and to determine its effect on fish populations. In East Bay, a 78-acre lake on the Sucker River, Alger County, Mich., an estimated concentration of 100 parts per billion was maintained for 14 days. The sea lamprey larvae were more resistant to toxaphene than were the fish, but a complete kill was indicated. One year after treatment, sea lampreys were absent from the lake, while the fish population had recovered.