Parasitic sea lamprey
You may notice a fluorescent green or bright pink color in the Crystal River for one day in mid-July. Not to worry—this is simply tracer dye placed by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) as part of their ongoing efforts to control the parasitic sea lamprey population. They are tentatively scheduled to place the tracer dye and apply lampricide to the Crystal River the week of July 15 to target and kill sea lamprey larvae, preventing their development into adult parasitic fish that can harm other fish populations.
Despite its bright color, the tracer dye is safe, biodegradable, and commonly used in environmental monitoring. The tracer dye helps to ensure the lampricide is applied at effective times and locations along the stream to achieve greater success. Sea lampreys are most vulnerable to lampricides during their larval stage when they live burrowed in the bottom of tributaries or in areas near stream mouths.
What are sea lampreys?
Sea lampreys are parasitic fish that attach to other fish, sucking out their blood and body fluids. They have caused significant damage to fish populations in the Great Lakes. The Glen Lake Association, in partnership with the USFWS, has worked diligently to keep them out of the Glen Lake/Crystal River Watershed.
Out of an abundance of caution, the USFWS placed additional monitoring equipment on the Glen Lake Association’s dam last year. The equipment will alert the USFWS if the water level reaches a point where it would be possible for sea lamprey to jump over the dam. If sea lamprey enter Glen Lake, they would do significant harm to the trout population and ecosystem.