A Legacy of Fighting Invasive Lamprey

Vernon C. Applegate led efforts to control the invasive sea lamprey population in the Great Lakes. The sea lamprey, a parasitic fish, wreaked havoc on the region’s fishing industry, particularly in the 1940s and 1950s, by attacking valuable game fish like lake trout. By the 1960s, their numbers had plummeted due to lamprey damage.

Applegate, a biologist who moved to Michigan in the early 1940s, took on the challenge of finding a way to eliminate the sea lampreys. Initially, his team tried various methods, including introducing eels and trapping the fish, but nothing worked. After years of experimentation, they finally discovered a chemical compound, 3-trifluoromethyl-4-nitrophenol, which successfully killed sea lampreys without harming other fish.

In the late 1950s, Applegate and his team, under the Great Lakes Fishery Commission, began using this chemical to treat affected waterways, leading to a significant reduction in the sea lamprey population. Applegate’s work saved the Great Lakes’ fishing industry, though he was largely forgotten in Michigan after his death in 1980.

Today, the sea lamprey problem is far from over, but Applegate’s legacy endures. The Great Lakes Fishery Commission honors him with an annual award, and his contributions have had a lasting impact, reducing sea lamprey-induced damage from 100 million pounds of fish annually to under 10 million. The article suggests that Applegate deserves recognition, potentially through a statue in Rogers City, where he worked.

To read the full article on Michigan Enjoyer, visit https://enjoyer.com/every-sea-lamprey-greatest-fear-vernon-applegate-fish-trout/.