Proposed Expansion of Sea Lamprey Control Program
Posted: Mon Jul 08, 2019 1:24 pm
Lake Champlain anglers and stakeholders:
As partners with interest in the control of sea lamprey, I wanted to share this development and the accompanying federal process with you and invite your review and comment.
Sea Lamprey wounds have improved from where they were a decade ago, but we have not been able to sustain desired wounding rate targets for lake trout and Atlantic salmon. We are continually looking for new and better ways to control sea lamprey to meet those goals of reduced lamprey wounding. While the addition of one new tributary to the program will not be the panacea in achieving reductions in lamprey wounds, it is one more step in our efforts to increase sea lamprey control where and when needed as part of our comprehensive approach to integrated pest management for sea lamprey in Lake Champlain. We are formally proposing to add a New York tributary to the program where lamprey were recently found.
As required by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), a draft Environmental Assessment (EA) has been prepared which explains the intent of the Lake Champlain Fish and Wildlife Management Cooperative (New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) to add Hoisington Brook and its delta, a tributary to Lake Champlain located in the village of Westport, NY, to the existing, federally-authorized, and state-permitted Lake Champlain Sea Lamprey Control Program. Any and all local citizens directly affected by the implementation of the proposed action will be individually notified of specific activities, pending the approval of the draft EA.
The PRESS RELEASE and DRAFT EA can be found at our website: https://www.fws.gov/lcfwro/sealamprey/NEPA.html where we invite the public to provide comments on the proposed action as part of the NEPA process. You may post unofficial comments here, but only comments submitted as instructed on our website will be recorded, reviewed, and considered as part of the federal record.
Bradley Young
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
Lake Champlain Sea Lamprey Control Program Manager
As partners with interest in the control of sea lamprey, I wanted to share this development and the accompanying federal process with you and invite your review and comment.
Sea Lamprey wounds have improved from where they were a decade ago, but we have not been able to sustain desired wounding rate targets for lake trout and Atlantic salmon. We are continually looking for new and better ways to control sea lamprey to meet those goals of reduced lamprey wounding. While the addition of one new tributary to the program will not be the panacea in achieving reductions in lamprey wounds, it is one more step in our efforts to increase sea lamprey control where and when needed as part of our comprehensive approach to integrated pest management for sea lamprey in Lake Champlain. We are formally proposing to add a New York tributary to the program where lamprey were recently found.
As required by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), a draft Environmental Assessment (EA) has been prepared which explains the intent of the Lake Champlain Fish and Wildlife Management Cooperative (New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) to add Hoisington Brook and its delta, a tributary to Lake Champlain located in the village of Westport, NY, to the existing, federally-authorized, and state-permitted Lake Champlain Sea Lamprey Control Program. Any and all local citizens directly affected by the implementation of the proposed action will be individually notified of specific activities, pending the approval of the draft EA.
The PRESS RELEASE and DRAFT EA can be found at our website: https://www.fws.gov/lcfwro/sealamprey/NEPA.html where we invite the public to provide comments on the proposed action as part of the NEPA process. You may post unofficial comments here, but only comments submitted as instructed on our website will be recorded, reviewed, and considered as part of the federal record.
Bradley Young
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
Lake Champlain Sea Lamprey Control Program Manager
