Western Brook Lamprey
Western brook lamprey are small, non-parasitic jawless fish native to coastal streams of British Columbia — not a sport fish in any conventional sense. They don't bite lures or take flies.
Their value to anglers is ecological: healthy lamprey populations signal clean, intact streams, and their larvae are a food source for trout and salmon that anglers do target.
Also known as Kwótawi
- Eel-like body, typically under 16 cm; two dorsal fins set well back toward the tail, no paired fins at all.
- No jaw — the mouth is a round sucker ringed with small teeth; two dull teeth visible at the top distinguish adults from larvae.
- Larvae (ammocoetes) lack visible eyes and have a fleshy hood over the mouth; nearly impossible to tell from Pacific or river lamprey larvae in the field.
- Adults are dark on the back, pale below; the Morrison Creek variety (Vancouver Island) runs slightly larger, 15–18 cm.
What to know
Habitat Distribution
- Native to freshwater coastal streams of British Columbia — Vancouver Island, the Fraser Valley east to Hope, and north to the Skeena and possibly the Stikine River drainage.
- Adults spawn in clean gravel riffles of small, clear streams; larvae settle into quiet back eddies, pools, and silty margins downstream of spawning areas.
- An endangered variety, the Morrison Creek lamprey, is restricted to a single stream on Vancouver Island and is the only form capable of feeding as an adult.
- Not found in the Great Lakes or eastern Canada — that's sea lamprey territory, a different and invasive species entirely.
Key Locations
- Vancouver Island streams, including Morrison Creek — the only known site for the endangered Morrison Creek lamprey variety.
- Fraser Valley tributaries from the coast east to Hope, B.C., in small, clean coastal streams.
- Skeena River drainage in northern B.C., near the northern edge of the species' confirmed Canadian range.
Specific Spots
- Spawning adults concentrate in shallow gravel riffles with moderate current — the same clean-gravel runs that attract spawning trout.
- Larvae burrow into silt, sand, or leaf litter in the deepest, quietest pool sections; larger ammocoetes tend to be deeper in the substrate than young ones.
- First-year larvae hug muddy or silty edges along pool margins, often in water just a few centimetres deep.
Western Brook Lamprey FAQ
Answers from onWater's species guide.
How do you catch Western Brook Lamprey?
Western brook lamprey are not targeted by anglers. Encountering them, especially larvae turned up while sampling substrate, is a useful indicator of stream health in the small coastal watersheds of B.C. where trout and salmon also live.
What do Western Brook Lamprey eat?
Larvae filter-feed on algae, diatoms, and fine organic material in the substrate for roughly four years, no lure or fly imitates this feeding mode. Adults do not feed at all after transforming; they live only long enough to spawn and die, drawing entirely on energy stored during the larval stage.
Where do Western Brook Lamprey live?
Native to freshwater coastal streams of British Columbia, Vancouver Island, the Fraser Valley east to Hope, and north to the Skeena and possibly the Stikine River drainage.
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