Two State Fish and Wildlife Agencies Team Up to Share Data On Champlain Lamprey

The Lake Champlain Fish and Wildlife Management Cooperative has announced the creation of a new Web site — www.ChamplainLamprey.org— that provides information on sea lamprey control in Lake Champlain.

The website provides information on sea lamprey biology; the environmental and economic impacts of sea lamprey; current and future efforts to control sea lamprey populations; events related to sea lamprey control; and discussion from sea lamprey experts.

"It is important for anglers and residents of the Lake Champlain Basin to understand the impacts of sea lamprey and the importance of controlling them," New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Denise M. Sheehan said. "This Web site will help increase the public's knowledge of the impacts of sea lamprey and continue public support for sea lamprey control efforts."

Vermont Fish and Wildlife Commissioner Wayne Laroche said that a University of Vermont survey found that Lake Champlain anglers spend more than $200 million annually in Vermont and New York .

" Lake Champlain fisheries are important to all of us in the region. This new website will provide the information people need to better understand why controlling sea lamprey is essential to maintaining good fishing in the lake," he said.

The Lake Champlain Fish and Wildlife Management Cooperative was formed in 1973 to effectively manage fish and wildlife species of interstate significance in Lake Champlain .

The cooperative is made up of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.

Anyone concerned about the lamprey problems can visit www.ChamplainLamprey.org to learn more about sea lamprey control efforts.

The Lake Champlain Fish and Wildlife Management Cooperative was formed in 1973, to effectively manage fish and wildlife species of interstate significance in Lake Champlain . The Cooperative consists of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.

An important and long-time goal of the Cooperative is to establish a lake-wide salmon and lake trout restoration program to re-establish Lake Champlain's historic, high-quality, world class fishery and to return balance to the Lake Champlain Basin 's ecosystem. Neither of these goals can be met without controlling the parasitic sea lamprey.

Visit www.ChamplainLamprey.org to learn more about sea lamprey control efforts.