A Great Lakes Invader Sea Lampreys are a primitive, jawless fish native to the Atlantic Ocean. Although Sea Lampreys resemble eels, lampreys lack jaws and posses only cartilage.
Lampreys have a large sucking duck for a mouth and a well developed sense of smell.
The mouth is filled with sharp teeth that surround a file-like tongue. See Picture below right. These fish fist appeared in the Lake Ontario in the 1830's through manmade locks and ship canals. After improvements to the Welland canal in 1919, Lampreys spread into Lake Erie and eventually spread throughout all of the Great Lakes. Today, they are visible in all of the 5 lakes and cause severe damage to lake trout and other critical fish.