Pacific Lamprey
Pacific lamprey are anadromous, jawless fish native to BC's coastal rivers and streams.
They're not a sport fish in the conventional sense — anglers rarely target them directly — but they matter deeply to First Nations fisheries along the Pacific coast, where they've been harvested as a traditional food source for thousands of years.
Their presence in a watershed is also a reliable indicator of clean, cold water.
Also known as Eel, Pacific eel, three-toothed lamprey
- Eel-like body up to 30 inches (80 cm) long, no scales, no paired fins, and no jaw — the round mouth forms a suction disc ringed with sharp teeth.
- Adults are blue-black to greenish on the back, silver-white on the belly; spawning fish turn reddish-brown.
- Distinguished from other BC lamprey species by three large teeth on the upper jaw bar and three sharp points on each central lateral tooth plate.
- Larvae (ammocoetes) are eyeless and toothless — nearly unrecognizable as the same animal as the adult.
What to know
Habitat Distribution
- Native to BC's Pacific-draining rivers and streams; documented in Fraser River tributaries and other coastal watersheds from Vancouver Island northward.
- Larvae spend three to eight years buried in soft-bottomed stream substrate — silt, sand, and fine gravel — in slow-water reaches and backwaters.
- Adults migrate to the ocean after metamorphosis, spending one to three years at sea before returning to freshwater to spawn and die.
- Spawning adults seek cool, clear headwater streams with clean gravel riffles — the same habitat prized by salmon and steelhead.
Key Locations
- Fraser River system, BC — documented in multiple tributaries; historically one of the most important lamprey rivers on the coast.
- Vancouver Island coastal streams — support spawning populations where habitat remains intact.
- Northern BC coastal rivers — lamprey present in watersheds from the central coast northward where cold, clean conditions persist.
Specific Spots
- Larvae concentrate in soft, silty substrate along stream margins and in low-velocity pools where organic matter accumulates — rarely in fast riffles.
- Spawning adults gather in shallow gravel riffles, where both sexes work together to clear small rocks and build nests.
- During upstream migration, adults hold in deep pools and slack water behind large boulders or woody debris, resting between pushes upstream.
Pacific Lamprey FAQ
Answers from onWater's species guide.
When is the best time to fish for Pacific Lamprey?
Spring and early summer, adults migrate upstream from the ocean to spawn, making them accessible to First Nations harvesters at traditional fishing sites. Year-round, larvae are present in stream substrate throughout the year but are not harvested.
How do you catch Pacific Lamprey?
Pacific lamprey are not targeted by recreational anglers in Canada. They are harvested by First Nations communities along the BC coast under food, social, and ceremonial (FSC) licences as a traditional food fish, typically by hand or dip net during upstream spawning migrations.
What do Pacific Lamprey eat?
Larvae filter-feed on algae, bacteria, and fine organic particles from their burrows, no predatory behavior at this stage, so no angling application. Adults in the ocean are parasitic, attaching to salmon, flatfish, rockfish, and pollock with their suction-disc mouth and feeding on blood and body fluids.
Where do Pacific Lamprey live?
Native to BC's Pacific-draining rivers and streams; documented in Fraser River tributaries and other coastal watersheds from Vancouver Island northward. Larvae spend three to eight years buried in soft-bottomed stream substrate, silt, sand, and fine gravel, in slow-water reaches and backwaters.
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