Unique fish found only on Vancouver Island under threat, conservationists say
CTV
Tucked away on a small parcel of land on Vancouver Island is a creature you will only find in the Comox Valley.
It's called the Morrison Creek Lamprey, and it's a unique form of the Western Brook Lamprey.
Lampreys are a small type of parasitic fish that look like eels.
"Lamprey themselves are ancient in the evolutionary tree. They predate sharks," said Janet Gemmell, president of the Morrison Creek Streamkeepers.
"They’re jawless fishes, so it's even before any fish got jaws. They’re scaleless, they have cartilage, so they’re very primitive," she said.
Volunteers with the Morrison Creek Streamkeepers and with the Comox Valley Land Trust are trying to preserve a forested area around the Morrison Creek headwaters.
"In 2019 we did our first land acquisition in the headwaters, which was about 50 acres," said David Stapley, director of the Comox Valley Land Trust.
"This piece here is 750 acres, or 280 hectares, and basically we're purchasing almost the rest of the headwaters," he said.
The groups have their sights set on land that is currently held by private forest companies so that the area doesn’t become logged or turned into industrial land.
