It's great to receive this recognition for the Lake Champlain salmonid program. New Yorkers should take note that, as a result of this on-going cooperative project, recreational fishing for trout and salmon in Lake Champlain has substantially improved. The ASA award will be presented at the association's annual membership meeting in Annapolis, Maryland on October 26, 1999. Representing the State at the awards banquet will be Larry Nashett, a veteran DEC fishery biologist and coordinator of the joint project. No date has been set for presentation of the AFS award.
Sea lamprey are among the most primitive of vertebrates.
They attach to the sides of large trout and salmon, and using their rasp-like mouth, bore a hole into the side of the fish. They feed on the tissue of the fish, often weakening or killing it as a result. Control of lamprey populations has been an important part of DEC's inland fisheries management program in the Finger Lakes since the 1980's and an integral part of Great Lakes fisheries management since the 1960's. ASA serves as a united voice for sportfishing interests working to ensure healthy and sustainable fisheries resources and increase participation in sportfishing through promotion and education. The Excellence in Sportfisheries Management Award is presented annually by ASA to recognize a fisheries management or enhancement project that improves recreational fishing opportunities.