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Outdoors: Coronations and lamprey pies

Speculation about the Coronation is cluttering my news feeds: What are the twelve pieces of new music going to be? Will Princess Catherine wear a tiara? And will environmentalist King Charles III really slip on a cloak made out of Canadian ermine?

But my personal top of mind question is: Will the king continue the tradition of dining on lamprey pie?

Yes, lamprey!

The repulsive invasive species which came pretty close to decimating Great Lakes fisheries still costs incredible amounts of money to manage.

These disgusting bloodsucking fish have suction-cup mouths, filled with savage, rasping teeth.

Lampreys attach themselves to other fish and suck them dry.

Apparently, giving a king a lamprey pie on Coronation Day is a tradition that dates back to the Middle Ages, but because of dams and weirs and industrial pollution, lampreys have been almost extirpated from Great Britain.

Consequently, if the King decides to indulge on lamprey pie, hopefully after the ceremony, (they say he is a somewhat fussy eater), The Great Lakes Fisheries Commission, as is their custom, will supply the royal family with unwanted lampreys. And frankly, in the Great Lakes, all lampreys are unwanted.

"Outdoors with Coggin Heeringa" can be heard every Wednesday on Classical IPR.