ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — State environmental officials are set to begin treatments to control the sea lamprey population in the Finger Lakes region.

The program is scheduled to begin this week on Seneca Lake tributaries in Chemung, Schuyler and Yates counties.

A lampricide will be applied over a period of about 12 hours to kill the larval form of the sea lamprey. The pesticide has been used extensively for sea lamprey control in the Great Lakes for decades and in Seneca Lake tributaries since 1982.

The aim is to boost the populations of landlocked salmon and native lake trout, prime targets of the sea lamprey. Some minor fish and aquatic invertebrates normally die and may be visible.

State health officials advise not to fish or swim in the treatment zone immediately following the treatments.

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