The water in the Big Head River in Meaford is looking a little different lately. Residents have noted the change in the river colour in recent days.
“I look at the water, it’s like a cloud,” says fisherman Frank Perri. “It’s a greenish colour. I’ve never seen this before.”
The water in the river is normally clear, and the initial concern was that this was some sort of pollution. On Thursday the Department of Fisheries and Oceans confirmed the river is being treated with lampricide.
The chemical, referred to as TFM, is used to target and kill the larvae of lampreys in river systems before they develop into parasitic adults.
Sea lamprey is an invasive predator that attaches to fish and sucks the fluids from its prey. The lamprey got into the upper great lakes through the Welland canal in the early 1900s.
The jawless, eel-like fish nearly wiped out lake trout, and is a threat to cold water sportfish like rainbow trout and salmon.
“One out of 20 salmon is going to have a lamprey on him or a couple of scars where it was on him,” fisherman Charlie Valeriote says, “so that’s a lot of lampreys out there.”
Chemical treatments like lampricide have helped reduce the number of lamprey since the 1970s, but they will continue to be a threat for the foreseeable future.
Officials say the lampricide is harmless to humans and pets and any fish that are caught in the treated water is safe to eat.
