Fatal Attraction (we hope)

From today's Free Press, possibly some very good news:

Lamphreys are sucking the life out of Michigan's waterways

MSU researchers hope man-made love potion can save fish


Scientists at Michigan State University have developed a man-made copy of a love scent male sea lampreys emit during spawning. Now, they are testing it in 10 Michigan streams.

"It has shown a dramatic impact on the behavior of lamprey," said Mike Siefkes, lamprey control specialist at the Great Lakes Fishery Commission in Ann Arbor.

If the pheromone works, it could be a breakthrough in the battle against lamprey in the Great Lakes.

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To date there hasn't been a selective control method for lamphreys. If this succeeds, it could put an end to use of sprays that kill insect larva along with those of lamphreys and electrical weirs that impede the spring spawning run of steelhead.