Live from the Boathouse! Steve Gephard presents Sea Lamprey: Misunderstood River Engineers

Sea Lamprey have a bad reputation: they invaded the Great Lakes in the mid-1800s, they suck the blood of other fish, and many consider their appearance to be off-putting. But these parasitic creatures are not all that they seem. Sea Lamprey play an important and under-recognized role in the Connecticut River ecosystem, providing food for other river species and bringing in vital nutrients from the ocean. Join Steve Gephard for a talk that dissects these misunderstood fish and challenges our ideas of which species are “good” and worthy of our appreciation.

As a Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection fisheries biologist, Steve Gephard worked tirelessly for 42years to restore a viable population of Atlantic salmon and other migratory fishes in the Connecticut River. Now, he educates the public about the role fish play in the ecosystem and works with governments in North America and Europe to conserve salmon populations in the North Atlantic.