Check out our latest story: Looks are deceiving for 'scary-looking' Pacific lamprey

Having trouble viewing this email? View it as a Web page. Here's our latest story:  Looks are deceiving for 'scary-looking' Pacific lamprey A "scary-looking, slimy" Pacific lamprey stops in a migration tube at the Van Arsdale Fisheries Station in Potter Valley, California. Biologists from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service coordinated work with local tribes and partners throughout the state, including the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, to try and reverse the decline of lamprey, and avoid placing the species on the federal Endangered Species List. Credit: John Heil/USFWS U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, partners create smooth route for Pacific lamprey By John Heil June 28, 2017 A parasitic eel-like fish with a gaping mouth, the rarely seen Pacific lamprey is often vilified. In reality, they provide an important service in our local California waterways. This native creature cleans our rivers, delivers food to the water system with marine nutrients and provides sustenance to tribes. "They can be scary-looking, slimy, and they are nocturnal, so you don't know what's going on; some people see them as 'blood-sucking lampreys,'" said Damon Goodman, fish biologist with the Arcata U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service office. "People think: 'what if they grab ahold of me?'" The fact is Pacific lamprey only filter-feed in freshwater systems, eating microorganisms and helping to clean the water. When they are first born, they are about the size of an eyelash and burrow in the stream bottom for five to seven years. Once they are about the size of a pencil, they transform, developing eyes, teeth and a sucker mouth. Then they migrate out to the ocean to feed parasitically on whales, pollock and other fish. They grow to about two feet long before returning to fresh water to spawn. Continue to full story... Stay Connected with U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Pacific Southwest Region     This email was sent using GovDelivery Communications Cloud on behalf of: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Pacific Southwest Region · 2800 Cottage Way · Suite W-2606 · Sacramento, CA 95825