Invasive ‘vampire fish’ caught in Virginia river — and experts say its presence is a good sign

A parasitic ‘vampire fish’ has been spotted in a Virginia river. The fish is rarely seen by humans and although it is an invasive species, experts are calling it a good sign.

An Alexandria resident pulled a sea lamprey from the Potomac River with his bare hands and tossed the nearly two-foot-long, eel-like creature onto dry land.

The fish gets its nickname because of its The mouth resembles a suction cup and has pointed teeth, with which it clings to its victim and feeds on its body fluids, sometimes feeding for weeks.

The Potomac River has been polluted for a long time and government agencies have taken steps to clean up the pollution. The appearance of the lamprey is therefore a sign that the pollution is finally decreasing, because the animal is sensitive to toxins.

Sea lampreys are an invasive species that originated in the Atlantic Ocean. In the 1800s, they entered the Great Lakes through man-made canals and docks.

The population in the Potomac began growing in 2002, which experts said was a positive sign for the river.

“The resurgence of sea lamprey is another indication that water quality is improving,” Jim Cummins, then deputy director of the Division of Living Resources, told the Potomac Bay Reporter at the time.

‘Sea lampreys are quite sensitive to pollution.’

The 23-year-old man posted a video on Instagram of himself catching the vampire fish, which he said was “the first sea lamprey caught in the Potomac River.”

The fish migrate from the Chesapeake Bay to the freshwater river each year to lay their eggs, so this is not the first time they have seen this species.

However, he appeared shocked and repeatedly said, “Oh my God,” as the person recording challenged him to put the shot on his arm.

“I’m not going to do that,” he said, but called his catch “crazy.”

People responded to the videobecause it is an invasive species and must be removed.

“They eat other fish and infect them with parasites with a bite, so eventually they die. They are invasive. Look at the damage they did in Michigan and what they had to do to fix it,” one person said.

A single female can produce up to 100,000 eggs. When the Great Lakes population increased in the 1940s and 1950s, the trout and whitefish populations were nearly wiped out. Efforts to eradicate them were initiated.

Another simply said, “Finish it.”

Last year the river received a ‘B’ for its beauty, while in 2011 it received a ‘D’.

Studies are being conducted to determine whether the river will be clean enough to lift the swimming ban within the next two to three years, the Potomac Nature Preserve.

Although there have been calls on social media to kill the sea lamprey, its presence is not harmful to the ecosystem.

According to the Chesapeake Bay Program, after lampreys reach maturity at four to five years, they leave freshwater rivers to spend the rest of their lives in the ocean.

The fish gets its nickname from its sucker-like mouth and pointed teeth, which it uses to latch onto its victim and feed on its bodily fluids – sometimes feeding on them for weeks

The lamprey resembles an eel, with a long body of 12 to 22 inches long and brown and yellow skin covered with dark spots. It has a suction cup-like mouth and pointed teeth to grab its prey and feed on their body fluids, sometimes for up to three weeks until the fish dies.

Lampreys have been around for millions of years, but they are threatened by habitat loss and chemical treatments called lampricide, which kill the lampreys’ larvae and have reduced their population by more than 90 percent.

They look like an eel, with a long body measuring 30 to 55 centimetres (12 to 22 in) long and brown and yellow skin covered with dark spots.

These fish can accidentally bite people swimming in the water. The bite is not fatal, but it is painful. In addition, untreated wounds can cause infection.

The sea lamprey is a native species and has lived in the Potomac for many years. However, they do not like to eat fishermen’s bait and the polluted water has previously hidden them from view.

The fish is believed to have once been abundant in the Chesapeake Bay, which flows into the Potomac. However, populations have declined due to increased sedimentation, pollution, and blocking of spawning areas by dams.

Since 1989, the Alice Ferguson Foundation has spearheaded the annual cleanup of the Potomac River watershed and the DC Water Clean Rivers Program has invested $2.6 billion to reduce pollution.