Sea lampreys are invasive in the Great Lakes and cause quite a problem to both maritime industry and the local ecology. They are considered one of the most destructive invaders and scientists at the University of Michigan have been hard at work developing a lamprey repellent. I’d say from the response in these videos that they definitely seem repelled! Hat tip to the Proceedings of the Ever so Strange for this video, where you can find a “collection of anecdotes from a particularly reprehensible medley of erstwhile academics, adventurers, raconteurs and bon vivants.”
From underwater:
What is the repellant? And why do the lampreys respond in this way?
L’Eau de Lamprey Morts
Meanwhile, in the Pacific Northwest the lamprey is a threatened native species and population numbers continue to decline. Local tribes consider lamprey a delicacy. Maybe a lamprey version of the “Eat Lionfish” campaign would be in order for the Great Lakes region, to sell people on the idea of eating the invasive fish.
To bad we could not develop something along the lines of a “political chemical” like this one. Imagine the next Palin rally? Oh the pathos…
Can anyone sing the title to the tune of Lehrer’s “Poisoning Pigeons in the Park”?
All the world seems in tune on a Spring afternoon,
Pouring liquid on lampreys in the lake…