The Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife is going to treat the Poultney and Hubbardton rivers for lamprey as soon the water levels in the rivers are high enough.
The department says that stream flow are currently too low to apply the chemical used to kill the immature lamprey that hatch and grow in Lake Champlain tributaries before swimming downstream into the lake.
Lamprey are nonnative, bloodsucking parasites that feed on fish. They have devastated the populations of trout, salmon and other fish species in Lake Champlain.
In a news release, Fish and Wildlife said the rivers would be treated as soon as conditions allow.