The Lillooet, Colville-Okanagan, Spokane, cultures of the British Columbian coast, Mid-Columbia Indians are reported to have eaten lamprey [1-5], which is likely to have included both Pacific lamprey and river lamprey. The Micmac (Mi'kmaq) of Richibucto were reported to have eaten sea lamprey [6]. The Montagnais (Innu) of St. Lawrence River are reported to have eaten lamprey, likely to have included silver lamprey [7].
References
1. Hunn E, Selam J, family: Animal and Plant Resources. In: Nch'i-W na "The Big River", Mid-Columbia Indians and Their Land. edn. Seattle: University of Washington Press; 1990.
2. Kennedy D, Bouchard RT: Lillooet. In: Handbook of North American Indians, Volume 12: Plateau. edn. Edited by Walker DE, Jr. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution; 1998: 174-190.
3. Kennedy D, Bouchard RT: Northern Okanagan, Lakes, and Colville. In: Handbook of North American Indians, Volume 12: Plateau. edn. Edited by Walker DE, Jr. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution; 1998: 238-252.
4. Ravenhill A: Chief Sources of Food Supply. In: The native tribes of British Columbia. edn. Victoria: King's Printer; 1938: 71-77.
5. Ross JA: Spokane. In: Handbook of North American Indians, Volume 12: Plateau. edn. Edited by Walker DE, Jr. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution; 1998: 271-282.
6. Speck FG, Dexter RW: Utilization of animals and plants by the Micmac Indians of New Brunswick. Journal of the Washington Academy of Sciences 1951, 41(8):250-259.
7. Rogers ES, Leacock E: Montagnais-Naskapi. In: Handbook of North American Indians, Volume 6: Subarctic. edn. Edited by Helm J. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution; 1981: 169-189.
Lampreys are a family of primitive snake-like jawless fish. In North America, most well-known lamprey species are parasitic and searun, but with some landlocked populations, like the Pacific lamprey (Lampetra tridentata), the river lamprey (L. ayresii), and the sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus), while other species are found exclusively in freshwater, like the silver lamprey (Ichthyomyzon unicuspis).
Lampreys have a tubular, scale-less body with seven gill holes on each side of the head. Parasitic species have a large rounded mouth located under the head and ringed with many sharp teeth. They use their mouth to attach to their fish prey, chew a hole through the flesh, and suck out body fluids. The largest sea lamprey, reaching close to 1 m long, once devastated the Great Lakes fisheries and still need to be controlled. All lampreys spawn only once and die soon after.
Reference
Wooding FH: Lake, river and sea-run fishes of Canada. Madeira Park, BC, Canada: Harbour Publishing; 1997.