They Look Scary, But Don’t Kill Sea Lamprey In Connecticut

Connecticut Fish and Wildlife wants you to know - If you ever come across a Sea Lamprey in Connecticut, don't kill it. You may think it's Sarlacc from Return of the Jedi, an octopus leg, eel, or snake, it's not.

One of the quickest ways to make me not like you is cruelty to animals. This week sucks in our state. I cringed writing the story of Wolcott Police arresting a Waterbury man yesterday who allegedly abandoned a dog, and went on to sell it's underaged puppies. Today, the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection is urging Connecticut residents on their social media to not kill Sea Lamprey. Why? CT DEEP has received "Numerous reports" of Sea Lamprey being killed and left along riverbanks recently.

If you're a boater or fisherman from the Great Lakes region of the United States and you recently moved to Connecticut, don't kill Sea Lamprey. They're different from the ones you're familiar with. Here's a video from Deep Marine Scenes I found on YouTube which introduces you to the Sea Lamprey world -

Connecticut Fish and Wildlife wants you to know Sea Lamprey are:

• Native to Connecticut
• Important to our ecosystem
• Being restocked by the Fisheries Division
• Not a threat to humans, trout, or other freshwater fish

Basically, Sea Lamprey swim into our rivers from the Sound to spawn, and pass away. They won't steal your bait, or latch onto your pinky toe at Rocky Neck. Please stop killing Sea Lamprey.