A number of salmon are dead in the Betsie River from a toxic chemical meant to target the parasitic sea lamprey. The U-S Fish and Wildlife Service was treating the Benzie County river last night, as it does every four years to combat the lamprey invasion.

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Lamprey attach themselves to fish and suck out their bodily fluids.

The chemical is called T-F-M. It's meant to kill lamprey larvae ... but not the fish they attack.

But an agency official says the P-H level apparently dropped enough during the treatment to boost the chemical's toxicity. That made it deadly for salmon as well.

It happened at a bad time for area resorts, many which are packed with anglers during spawning season.