OLD TOWN, Maine (NEWS CENTER) -- They might not be the prettiest of creatures but there's no reason to fear the lamprey eels making their way up the Penobscot River right now, that's the message from fisheries biologists.
But plenty of people did freak out upon seeing images posted on Facebook Saturday of a Lamprey eel carcass found along the Penobscot River in Old Town.
"Nasty!", "Disgusting", "Nightmare!" were just some of the comments people posted. One person wrote "I Think it's from a Stephen King book," another warned, "Please Don't go in the Penobscot River right now."
Fisheries biologists say there's no reason to fear the eels. They are a native species to Maine waters and have been in our rivers for decades.
People may be seeing more of them this year because the river levels are lower than usual.
And even though those rows of teeth look scary, biologists say the lampreys aren't looking for food right now, they're looking for a mate.
"The adults that come upstream this time of year are not feeding they are not parasitic at this point they're just coming upstream to spawn," explained Oliver Cox, a scientist with the Department of Marine Resources.
The Lampreys will die shortly after spawning. And unlike in the Lake Superior, where they are an invasive species that pose threats to Lake Trout, they are a native species in Maine and do not pose threats to other native fish species because they mainly feed when they're out to sea during the parasitic stage of their life cycle.
"They're wanting to spawn, their wanting to go to their spawning locations and then they'll die shortly thereafter," explained Merry Gallagher a fisheries Biologist with the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.
Gallagher added that they are considered a valuable food resource for wildlife and large fish species.
The Department Of Marine Resources says there were about 600 Lampreys counted at the Milford Dam so far this year, but scientists acknowledge that count is not a good indicator of the total upstream population because many may have been able to slip through the gates in the fishway.