December 16, 1963
THE FISHERMAN
Page 19
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PACIFIC LAMPREY MAY BE ON INCREASE IN BC
l A SAP'S FABLES
Looking Back From 2001
nillillllllllllllilllllHIIIIIIIIIill The Pacific Lamprey (Entospheuus Tridentatus)
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THE first major work on lampreys ever done in province is being carried out at UBC by a former high school teacher.
For the past three years, F. T. (Tony) Pleteher, a former biology and general science teacher in Vancouver, has been investigating the life cycle of the fish, which may be on the increase in BC.
The Pacific lamprey, which attaches itself to salmon and other edible fish with a sucker - like mouth and then sucks out the blood and body fluids, appears to be on the increase in two Vancouver Island lakes.
They are Cowichan Lake, west of Duncan, and Elsie Lake, north
of Port Alberni, Pleteher says. The BC Game Commission is presently carrying out a survey of Elsie Lake to see if there has been a marked increase in the activities of the predator.
If the lamprey threatens the fish population of the lakes, scientists may use a lampricide called TFM (3 trifluormethyl - 4 nitro-phenol), which has been used in eastern Canada where the lamprey has almost totally destroyed the fishing industry on the Great Lakes.
TFM kills only lamprey and its larvae. Pleteher says, and is harmless to humans and other fish. * ★ *
THE LAMPREY, PLETCHER states, is not an eel as is com-
What Do You Know About Your Binoculars?
There is a fair amount of confusion as to what the numbers on binoculars, such as 7 x .35, 8 x 30, actually mean. This short article from the BC Wildlife Review tells readers what they are getting when they buy a pair.
* * ★
THE FIRST NUMBER, 7x, 8x, etc. means the power of magnification, which is the number of times the image as seen through the glass is larger than the object appears to the naked eye.
Another way of explaining magnification is: the distance it places you in relation to the object when viewing it through a glass.
For example, if you are 1,400 feet from the object and viewing it with a 7 power glass, it is the same as seeing from a distance of 200 feet with the naked eye.
★ ★ *
THE SECOND NUMBER (35, 30, etc.) is the diameter, in millimeters of the objective lens. This is the larger lens closer to the object being viewed.
The size of the objective lens determines the light gathering capacity which in turn governs the brightness of the image. It bears no relationship to the field of view as many people think.
THE FIELD OF VIEW means the width of view that you see. It usually is indicated in either of the following two ways.
1. By Degrees. Thus, binoculars marked 7 degrees means that you will take in 7 degrees of the 360 degrees which make up a complete circle.
2. By feet per 1000 yards. Thus, when your binocular is marked ''400 feet at 1000 yards" it means that you see 400 feet off in lateral width of the object when you are 1000 yards from it.
To compare the two systems of marking, remember that each degree means approximately 52 feet in lateral width at 1000 yards.
When a pair of binoculars is marked 7 degrees you will see 7 x 52, which is 364 feet in lateral width. If marked "260 feet at 1000 yards" it will be 260 divided by 52, which is 5 degrees.
monly thought, but belongs to the most primitive jawless fishes. It has no jaws or bones, only cartilage, a single nostril, and seven gill pores.
Unlike higher orders of fish, the lamprey has no true paired fins for propulsion and steering.
As a result of Pletcher's studies it is now known that lampreys have a much wider range in BC than was previously thought.
They are found to be the most abundant fish resident in the streams of the lower Fraser valley and travel up the Fraser as far as Lillooet.
They are also found in the Skeena and Bulkley river systems and have penetrated to Babine Lake, midway between Prince Rupert and Prince George.
Adult lampreys, which grow up to 27 inches in length, can negotiate formidable rapids and other barriers with ease on their way to spawn in fresh water. Pleteher says. When they grow tired, thrv simply attach themselves to rocks until they regain strength.
When lampreys reach their spawning grounds they attach themselves to rocks of more than twice their own weight and move them aside to create a nest where the female lays up to 100.000 eggs. After fertilisation by the male, both adult lampreys die.
The lamprey larvae, which hatch in 11 to 20 days, remain in the sand on the stream bottom for about a month. They emerge at night and float downstream to muddy areas where they again burrow in and feed on microscopic plant life and other inorganic material. The larvae look like earth worms but are no! eaten by most fish.
In five years the lamprey grows to between four and six inches in length and is ready to go to sea. At this point the fish develop-the sucking hood and teeth which it uses to attach itself to other
THE PACIFIC LAMPREY
spends from one to two years in 'salt water, but very little is known about its movements. Some stay in the Gulf of Georgia, while others have been found at tached to their prey 50 miles to sea.
Lamprey scars have also been found on whales and it seems likely that they are capable of travelling great distances.
Lampreys locate their prey by using a sense of smell and radar. They nearly always fix themselves to their victims just behind the head, where they remain attached by suction and sharp teeth which run around the rim of the hood.
An interior tooth tongue rasps a hole in the flesh, and the lamprey then injects an anti-coagulant which will keep the blood of the victim flowing for more than a week. Eventually the lamprey will detach itself and search for other prey. The victim, meanwhile, is usually badly weakened and often dies.
By BOB DONLEY
'N the year 2001, The Fish-man editor puts clothes-peg on nose and reviews old newspaper clippings from scrapbook of not so illustrious forebear.
* ★ *
1964— Non Treaty Indians Sell Canada to obscure US
Finance Co. "Needed that 7.5c exchange to meet the rising cost of imported Japanese totem poles," says "Chief Easy Come." All English speaking Canadians except Pearson evacuated to Baffin Land. "Get going boys," says Pearson, "When ya gotta go, ya gotta go."
* * *
1965— Jack Scott Joins John Birchers. "I've been called a 'son of a birch' once too often." says Jack, "It was the last straw."
* ★ ★
1966— Great Fishermen's Panic of 1966. Rivers and Smith
inlets complete failures. Total of 15M> sockeye caught by 3,748 gill-netters. Marine scientists form debating society. Unable to decide whether sea lion or skin-diver filched that other % salmon.
Federal relief granted to starving fishermen. Department grants S""0 to hungry Union members. "That'll be five cents apiece to buy a postage stamp to write to your federal member," says fisheries minister who anticipates doubling of members' $18,000 annual indemnity to meet additional paper work due to disaster.
*>..★■■* 1967~~5200,000,000 Granted for Heavy Water Plant in North Vancouver. Good old Jack. Cement companies jubilant.
* ★ * 1967'A — Design for Flag
.Adopted. Stan;slaus Weinersnitzel, unemployed Central European immigrant, picks design from 10,000.000 submissions. New flag to have yellow background with hot dog in each corner and hamburger rampant in center. Said Stanislaus, a former pretzel bender. "When do we garbage lip?"
★ * *
1968— Canada's Adverse Trade Balance of S'OO 0"O,QO0
Met by Proceeds of Sale of 301 Fisheries Department Luxury Vessels to Greek Playboy. "It's an imposition, boys" says suner-visor to displaced personnel, "but I think we can put you all up at the Bayshore."
★ * *
1969— F'rst Heavy Water Produced in BC; Scientist
Accidentally Killed by Squirt From Water Pistol. Says practical joker: "I didn't know it was loaded."
★ * *
1970— Eraser Harnessed for Additional Power for Heavy
Water Plant. "Tough bananas, boys," says fisheries minister, "but we can import our sockeye from Japan from here on out. Besides they're getting it all anyway."
★ * *
1971— Canadian Economy Faces Crisis as Quebec Refuses
to Invest $500,000,000,000 of Bank and Credit Union Savings. "Language barrier to blanie. We can't understand your lousy French," says Quebec Premier.
1 *
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1972 ~~ Fisheries Department Nominates Bob Donley "Fink of the year" following Royal Commission Investigation of Department for Gross Dereliction and Neglect of Fisheries Resources. Investigating judge recommends shooting every second man. SPCA objects.
★ ★ ★
1973— H o m e r Stevens Flips. Union secretary attends
Crepe Suzettes Party flips largest pancake.
★ ★ *
1974— Junius Van Sauerbrod-den Cracks Genetic
Cede. Winner of $50,000 Nobel prize claims: "Dos wos very ■'mole. Aye just usink da cor-rekt kind of nut cracker."
★ ★ ★
1975 — Federal Government makes grant of $978.65 to establish research station. Purpose is application of genetic in-
formation to create new life forms.
* ★ ★
1980— Russians First to Land on Dark Side of Moon;
Find Former BC Fisherman There. "I couldn't go for that abstention bit," said former gill-nctter, "I had a yen for better things."
* * *
1981— Fisheries Biologists under Sauerbrodden Startle
World with Creation of New Life Form Which turns Out to be Embryo Salmon.
"We will need an additional S650 million and 20 or 30 thousand newly trained biologists to mass produce these fish," say colleagues of Sauerbrodden.
* 'it * J982~New Fish Conditioned by
by Hypnotic Suggestion, Will not Leave Three Mile Limit, Say Scientists. This is seen as boon to three surviving BC gill-netters. One, McTavish, brags, "I'll cork those other two Stubble jumpers."
* * *
1985- Mass eP'dem'c Two million Canadians die of
food poisoning. Botulism suspected.
* ★ ★
1986— V a n Sauerbrodden explains poisoning—"Yaust
vun ting aye forget to tell youse bums, dose Genetic Code for dem salmon she's different—not based on 'DNA and UNA' but 'DMA and RMA' like 'THINK' and 'THIMK'. Dose feesh is poisonous und not eddible for Hooman Beans. Now vot do you thimk of dem for epples?"
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