Sea Lamprey

Not sure of take regulations.

Has anyone eaten these?

Video states they taste like scallop/clam.

I have seen lamprey's migrate on incoming tide while combat fishing at the mouth of the Klamath river.

https://youtu.be/0uyMyyzom9o?si=58_dg3WP_SdBEY_P

Al





https://youtu.be/0uyMyyzom9o?si=58_dg3WP_SdBEY_P

Seen them swimming up the San Lorenzo too, not sure of take either though.  I can imagine they taste decent? I guess I'd try it 

Not gonna lie, those look like bait to catch something more appetizing, haha. Eh, I'd try anything once though...

Not gonna lie, those look like bait to catch something more appetizing, haha. Eh, I'd try anything once though...

Ha ! I have seen worse, that taste delish. Especially at NCKA events. 

The video is a little misleading by calling all anadromous lamprey "sea lamprey". The true "sea lamprey", Petromyzon marinus, is native to the North Atlantic and is the one that caused havoc in the Great Lakes as an invasive species. On our coastline, we have Pacific lamprey (Entosphenus tridentatus) and river lamprey (Lampetra ayresii). We also have the Western brook lamprey (Entosphenus lampetra), which is a resident non-anadromous species that is much smaller than the anadromous species.

I'm leery of promoting the consumption of Pacific lamprey because their numbers have been in the crapper for a long time now. All those traditional fish ladders constructed at dams for salmonid fish passage were ineffective for passing lamprey, as they can't navigate 90 degree angles when "sucking" their way up a traditional fish ladder. It's also hard to gain public support for lamprey conservation because of their parasitic reputation and their looks.

When Pacific lamprey would die after spawning in late spring, they were often the only dead fish in our rivers that were delivering marine-derived nutrients to those systems that time of the year. Juvenile salmonids would feed off the lamprey carcasses themselves, along with aquatic insects that would then be eaten by the salmonids. Increasing Pacific lamprey numbers would have beneficial effects on salmonid production.

That being said, lamprey are highly nutritious and are packed with calories. The video is correct about that. They have significantly more calories in them than a salmon of equivalent size.

Thanks for the information as always , Chris.

That definitely changes my mind on consumption for the Lampreys with more value on the eco-system.

Al