Data Release: Evaluation of Bayluscide 20% suspension concentrate formulation field performance (Indian River, Schoolcraft County, MI)

The sea lamprey, Petromyzon marinus, is a parasitic, invasive fish of the Laurentian Great Lakes. Since the late 1950s, the Great Lakes Fishery Commission has administered a Sea Lamprey Control Program (SLCP) that is executed collaboratively by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and Fisheries and Oceans Canada. This program relies on two lampricides, TFM (4-nitro-3-[trifluoromethyl]phenol), and Bayluscide, the 2-aminoethanol salt of niclosamide (5-chloro-N-(2-chloro-4-nitrophenyl)-2-hydroxybenzamide). Up to 2% by weight of niclosamide can be combined with TFM to reduce the amount of the more costly TFM lampricide while maintaining selectivity for the target species. Currently, a Bayluscide 20% Emulsifiable Concentrate (EC) is registered for this use; however, it has been associated with equipment degradation, clogging, cleanup difficulty, and worker safety concerns. To address these shortcomings, a new Bayluscide 20% Suspension Concentrate (SC) formulation has been developed as a potential replacement. In this study, a field performance evaluation was conducted on the Indian River (Schoolcraft County, MI) to assess the compatibility of Bayluscide 20% SC with SLCP application procedures and equipment, and to evaluate lampricide concentration profiles when Bayluscide 20% SC is applied alone and in combination with TFM. Here in, we report the data collected in the first field test to provide evidence to support the pesticide registration of the Bayluscide 20% SC formulation. Bayluscide 20% SC was compatible with SLCP application procedures and equipment. Bayluscide 20% SC had a uniform and consistent concentration profile for the duration of the treatment, both alone and in combination with TFM. These findings provide evidence to support the pesticide registration of the Bayluscide 20% SC formulation.

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