# Fresh water eels???



## Boardman Brookies

I was out on a local creek this afternoon doing some trout fish and I looked down at my feet and noticed about 100 small eels. I have seen lampray eels before on fish and dead in the lower Boardman but I am not really sure what these were.

I know that there are native eels here but could these be invasive lamprays? I have never seen one before. I took a few pics but they didn't turn out that good. Any ideas?


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## DE82

Kinda looks like a lampray to me but don't take that for too much as I'm really just guessing and using past knowledge to make that guess. Could be anything, but I'm interested to see what others say -Bryon


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## Boardman Brookies

I looked on the DNR site and I think that this is either a Silver Lamprey or the American Brook Lamprey. I was mistaken calling them eels. I wonder if this is a good or bad thing for my stream I fish?


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## stinger63

Boardman Brookies said:


> I looked on the DNR site and I think that this is either a Silver Lamprey or the American Brook Lamprey. I was mistaken calling them eels. I wonder if this is a good or bad thing for my stream I fish?


I would think not it cant be good


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## DE82

Boardman Brookies said:


> I looked on the DNR site and I think that this is either a Silver Lamprey or the American Brook Lamprey. I was mistaken calling them eels. I wonder if this is a good or bad thing for my stream I fish?


From what I know, it's a bad thing. I know down in the area of the MO river I fish and have been fishing for years they used to have lamprey traps and checked them often....Not good at all


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## wartfroggy

Yes they are lampreys. They are ammocetes (in the larval stage). They will live in the mud for a number of years before emerging. Sea Lampreys will migrate to the Lake. Native lampreys such as Chestnut and Silver lampreys may migrate out to a lake or stay in the river. Brook Lampreys never fully develop their mouth/teeth and never become a parasite like the others. As long as they are not Sea Lamprey, it is not a big deal. Native lampreys are natural to the system, and are not as aggressive as the Sea Lamprey. They do not usually kill the host like the sea lamprey. They are a smaller size, and stay on the host a shorter time, causing less harm. And they contribute to the food chain as a prey item. It is much more difficult to key them out as ammocetes, so trying to tell from a blurry pic is pretty tough. But I would be leaning towards a chestnut.


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## RedChevy

A stream I fish has those in it as well. I have never seen one on a fish and they are native to the stream so I let them be.


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## Pike Eyes

I really hope that it is not a sea lamprey.


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## Whit1

As mentioned above what you found was a native, stream lamprey. Eels are a fish and have jaws; lampreys do not.

Brook lampreys do little harm to a fishery.


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## Benzie Rover

the photo shows a single dorsal fin, which means either American, northern brook (non-parasitic/native) or sea lamprey. Brook lampreys are noted for emerging from nests in large groups so hopefully that is what you came across. Also, the dorsal is usually not that well formed on sea lamprey amocyetes at that size from what I remember from my days with a backpack shocker. I will be an optimist and guess brook, not sure if about american or northern. 

Brook lampreys do not have a parasitic form to their life cycle either so they are all good and only add biomass and have a positive niche in the river system. Also, chesnut and silver lampreys have not been found to cause signficant damage to trout from what I have read, however they have been studied quite a bit on the Manistee around Sharon as some do suspect they cause problems in some places. Anyway, cool find.


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## TonyP

I might be mistaken, but I seem to remember reading somewhere that brook and chestnut lampreys are detritivours, meaning they feed on detritous...decomposing organic matter. I certainly hope that what they are!


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## gunrod

Here's an old post about the chestnut lampreys and some info from the fish biologists.

http://www.michigan-sportsman.com/forum/showthread.php?t=41067&highlight=chestnut

Lampreys are in most streams and a member of the food chain. The only one I've seen harm a fish latched on to the gill plate of a brown and wouldn't let the gills open and close suffocating the fish.


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## gamebird_guy

There have been alot of them down there for alot of years now,about every walleye I would catch down there would have one on it. They don't see to get any bigger than 5 or 6 inches.


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## wartfroggy

TonyP said:


> I might be mistaken, but I seem to remember reading somewhere that brook and chestnut lampreys are detritivours, meaning they feed on detritous...decomposing organic matter. I certainly hope that what they are!


brook lampreys are detritivours. Chestnut lampreys are when they are ammocetes, but then become parasitic at maturity. But, again, they are not known to be as hard on the fishery as Sea Lampreys. They will latch on, but rarely kill the host before leaving to find another.


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## fathom this

Send photo's to [email protected] They should be able to identify.
If they are indeed sea lamprey they would like to know and possibly treat the stream.


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## wartfroggy

fathom this said:


> Send photo's to [email protected] They should be able to identify.
> If they are indeed sea lamprey they would like to know and possibly treat the stream.


Pretty sure they won't be able to be certain from the blurry pic what they are for sure.


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## Spey

Cut in half and put on a hook.


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## Vicious Fishous

I just saw a sliver one on a carp's dorsal fin in a gravel pit, next to the Grand River. Very cool.
PETE


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