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Lamprey eels were and still are a large part of the diet of the coastal Indians of the North West. Most like them smoked but are good cooked just about any way.

OK. That makes sense. Thanks for the informative response.

My attitude was based on the understanding that lampreys ingtruded and virtually destroyed the lake trout population in the Great Lakes.

Is there no risk of such a thing in the Columbia Basin?

The Great Lakes is a separate matter. They have had big problems with Lampreys there in the past. That may have been fixed by now. I admit I do not know very much about the Lamprey problems on the Columbia, or in fact, if there are any problems. I do know a lot about the Klamath as I am a Yurok Indian from there. On the Klamath the Lampreys come into the mouth and go upstream to spawn just like the salmon do. The Klamath is swift and fish and eels work hard to get up to their spawning grounds. The Lampreys there don't seem to do any damage to salmon, if any at all. I've caught salmon before with Lamprey sucker marks on their sides but never heard of an eel killing a salmon. And like the salmon, they are fresher and better eating the closer to the mouth of the river you catch them.