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Arctic Lamprey

Arctic Lamprey

Arctic lamprey are jawless, eel-shaped fish native to Arctic and subarctic freshwaters across northern Canada.

They aren't a mainstream sport fish — most encounters happen incidentally — but they hold real cultural weight as a traditional food source for Indigenous peoples in the Yukon and Northwest Territories, and they turn up in surveys and subsistence harvests across the north.

Also known as Korean lamprey, Japanese river lamprey

Physical Characteristics:
  • Eel-like body, blue-black to dark brown on top, yellow to light tan underneath; anadromous adults reach up to 24 inches, while landlocked freshwater residents rarely exceed 7–8 inches.
  • Jawless, with a round sucking disc ringed by teeth — two large teeth on the supraoral bar distinguish this species from other Canadian lampreys.
  • Adults show a dark blotch on the rear dorsal fin and tail; juveniles are gray above and lighter below.

What to know

Habitat Distribution

  • Native to Arctic and subarctic Canada — documented in the Yukon River drainage, the Great Slave Lake basin (Northwest Territories), and coastal freshwater systems draining to the Arctic and Pacific.
  • A landlocked freshwater population is reported in Ta'tla Mun, which drains into the Pelly River in Yukon, where adults parasitize whitefish rather than migrating to sea.
  • Larvae spend years buried in fine sediment in slow-water stretches of rivers and streams, filter-feeding; adults of the anadromous form return to freshwater to spawn and die.

Key Locations

  • Yukon River drainage, Yukon — part of the historical and traditional harvest range for Indigenous communities.
  • Pelly River system, Yukon — home to a documented landlocked parasitic population in Ta'tla Mun.
  • Great Slave Lake basin, Northwest Territories — a permanent freshwater resident population is documented here.

Specific Spots

  • Larvae concentrate in soft, silty or sandy backwater areas and slow side-channels of rivers — look for these low-velocity pockets away from main current.
  • Spawning adults move into gravel riffles in spring; the Pelly River system in Yukon is one documented location for a resident population.
  • In winter, upstream migrants in other parts of the range have been caught holding near the river bottom in deeper pools — similar behavior is likely in Canadian drainages.

Arctic Lamprey FAQ

Answers from onWater's species guide.

When is the best time to fish for Arctic Lamprey?

Subsistence harvest of upstream-migrating adults traditionally occurs in winter and early spring, when fish are moving upriver under ice. Spawning activity occurs in late spring to early summer once river temperatures rise and ice-out is complete in northern drainages.

How do you catch Arctic Lamprey?

Arctic lamprey are not targeted by recreational anglers in Canada. They are harvested through traditional subsistence methods, historically using dipnets and multi-forked poles through ice, by Indigenous peoples in northern Yukon and the Northwest Territories, where they are valued as a high-fat food source.

What do Arctic Lamprey eat?

Larvae are filter feeders, drawing in algae, diatoms, and fine organic matter from the sediment, they don't bite and pose no threat to other fish during this multi-year stage.

Where do Arctic Lamprey live?

Native to Arctic and subarctic Canada, documented in the Yukon River drainage, the Great Slave Lake basin (Northwest Territories), and coastal freshwater systems draining to the Arctic and Pacific.

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