Scientists Digging For Lamprey

Check out these photos from the field! Lisa K Weiland (sitting) and Leah Tai from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are shown above. This project is working to learn how larval lampreys use soft substrates for burrowing. There is nothing known about how deep these creatures burrow...and that may be because it's hard to sample the sediment before they move! Our scientists are hard at work in the field -- using a modified clam gun to remove sediment and lampreys. They will also be measuring water quality in the substrate and characterizing the type of sediment the fish are burrowed in. Fun in the mud!