Sea Lamprey   (Petromyzon marinus)

DESCRIPTION

The Sea Lamprey, Petromyzon marinus, was first discovered in Lake Ontario in 1835, Lake Erie in 1921, Lake Huron 1932, Lake Michigan 1936, and Lake Superior 1946. Reproducing populations were found in all of these upper lakes by 1947. Sea lamprey is aquatic vertebrates native to the Atlantic Ocean. Sea lampreys resemble eels, but unlike eels, they feed on large fish. The sea lamprey attaches to deepwater fish, especially lake trout and chubs, for food and indirectly gains transportation that has enabled it to become widely dispersed throughout the Great Lakes. They remain attached and feed on the fish until they are satiated or until the fish dies. Lake trout, burbot and whitefish populations were devastated by lamprey predation by the early 1940s. Much work to control this parasite in the Great Lakes has been accomplished, but without continued control and research into stream invasions, the populations would once again escalate, damaging the predator/prey balance.

• Length: 12 to 20 inches
• Weight: 8 to 13 ounces
• Coloring: grey-blue back, metallic violet on sides, shading to silver-white underneath
• Common Names: great sea lamprey, lake lamprey, lamprey, lamprey eel

(Source: 1. The Sea Lamprey: Invader of the Great Lakes, 1982, University of Wisconsin Sea Grant; 2. Fish of Great Lakes, Wisconsin Sea Grant)

Attack and parasitic feeding on other fishes by adult lampreys often results in death of the prey, either directly from the loss of fluids and tissues or indirectly from secondary infection of the wound (Phillips et al., 1982, see reference section). Of the fish that survived attacks by lampreys, 85% of various species had been attacked up to five times (Scott and Crossman, 1973, see reference section). The species' introduction to the Great Lakes and its later abundance, combined with water pollution and overfishing, resulted in the decline of several large native species, including several ciscoes Coregonus spp., lake trout Salvelinus namaycush, and walleye Stizostedion vitreum, among others. Consequently, there was a collapse in the commercial fisheries during the 1940s and 1950s in many parts of the Great Lakes, particularly in lakes Huron and Michigan, and in eastern Lake Superior (e.g., Lawrie, 1970; Scott and Crossman, 1973; Christie, 1974; Lee et al., 1980 et seq.; Smith and Tibbles, 1980; Becker, 1983; Emery, 1985; Courtenay, 1993, see reference section). Lake trout catch in Lake Huron fell from 3.4 million pounds in 1937 to virtual failure in 1947. In Lake Michigan, U.S. catch fell from 5.5 million pounds in 1946 to 402 pounds in 1953. In Lake Superior, catch dropped from an average of 4.5 million pounds to 368 thousand pounds in 1961 (Scott and Crossman, 1973, see reference section).

In freshwater, sea lampreys are known to attack white sucker Catostomus commersoni, longnose sucker Catostomus catostomus, redhorse Moxostoma spp., yellow perch Perca flavescens, rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss, burbot Lota lota, channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus, northern pike Esox lucius, and common carp Cyprinus carpio (Scott and Crossman, 1973, see reference section). Sea lamprey predation, in combination with other factors (i.e., overfishing and hybridization with more common cisco species), led to the extinction of three endemics in the Great Lakes; the longjaw cisco Coregonus alpenae, the deepwater cisco C. johannae, and the blackfin cisco C. nigripinnis (Miller et al., 1989, see reference section). 

During the late 1940s, the alewife Alosa pseudoharengus invaded the Great Lakes from the Atlantic Ocean. Because the sea lamprey had greatly reduced the population of large predators, alewife populations exploded and were followed by tremendous die-offs, resulting in additional changes to fish species composition in the lakes (Smith and Tibbles, 1980, see reference section). Sea lampreys also took a toll on the introduced salmon in the Great Lakes, much to the dismay of anglers and state fish agencies. Although the number of sea lamprey in the Great Lakes has been reduced, they still kill substantial numbers of lake trout in some areas and thus are impeding the rebuilding of established populations (Schneider et al., 1996, see reference section).

(source from: http://nas.er.usgs.gov/fishes/accounts/petromyz/pe_marin.html)

The are generally marine, but ascends freshwater rivers to spawn. Atlantic Coast from Labrador to Gulf of Mexico, Florida; landlocked in Great Lakes and several New York lakes. Also along Atlantic coast of Europe and Mediterranean Sea (Page and Burr, 1991, see reference section).

(SOURCE: 1. http://www.great-lakes.net/envt/flora-fauna/invasive/lamprey.html; 2. http://nas.er.usgs.gov/fishes/accounts/petromyz/pe_marin.html)

Sea lampreys, now found in all the Great Lakes, attach to fish with a sucking disk and sharp teeth. Sea lampreys feed on body fluids, often scarring and killing host fish. During its life as a parasite, each sea lamprey can kill 40 or more pounds of fish. Sea lampreys are so destructive that under some conditions, only one of seven fish attacked by a sea lamprey will survive. 

According to the Great Lakes Fishery Commission (GLFC), to control this destructive aquatic nuisance, state, federal, provincial and tribal agencies in both the United States and Canada participate in the Integrated Management of Sea Lamprey (IMSL) process. The GLFC's program of integrated sea lamprey management includes lampricide control, construction of barriers in streams to deny sea lampreys' entry, and an experimental program to reduce spawning success by releasing sterilized-male sea lampreys. Sea lamprey assessment is required to improve  and monitor the effectiveness of the whole control program. The program has successfully allowed the re-emergence of the largest freshwater fishery in the world. 

Sea lamprey assessment is required in order to improve the information used to select streams for lampricide treatment, to effectively apply alternative control methods, and to monitor the effectiveness of the whole control program. Quantitative information allows control efforts to be applied where they will cause the greatest reduction in lamprey numbers with the least impact on other nontarget organisms, using the least possible lampricide at the least possible cost. 

Barriers:  The collection of quantitative sea lamprey information is critical to integrate sea lamprey management with fishery-management goals of Great Lakes agencies. Improving the amount and quality of the information collected and using these new computer-based tools will facilitate setting realistic target levels for sea lamprey control in each lake, and will result in the most efficient and effective control program at the lowest cost. To meet treatment permit requirements, the control agents carry out pre- and post-application assessments to determine the impact of lampricide treatments on non-target species. In addition to using this information to measure changes in key indicators of efforts of the regular control program and/or new alternative control efforts, it is also used to meet risk monitoring and environmental assessment needs. 

• improved passage for non-target species; 
• more efficient control on streams where physical characteristics make lampricide treatment difficult, expensive or ineffective; 
• savings in time, manpower and related costs through a reduction in stream miles requiring periodic lampricide treatment; 
• reduced dependency on lampricides; 
• reduced lampricide purchases in the face of rising costs and potentially limited supply; and 
• reduced quantity of lampricides added to the environment. 

There are different types of barriers in use to control sea lampreys including: 

• Low-head Barriers 
• Velocity Barriers 
• Inflatable Barriers 
• Electrical Barriers

Lampricide control : Tributaries harboring larval sea lampreys periodically are treated with lampricides to eliminate or reduce the populations of larvae before recruitment to the lake as parasitic adults. 

(Source: Sea Lamprey Control, Great Lakes Fishery Commission, http://www.glfc.org/lampcon.htm)

Exotic Species Online Publications Catalog: Michigan Sea Grant   
    http://www.engin.umich.edu/seagrant/pubs/onlline.htmls
Five Lampreys of Michigan   http://www.engin.umich.edu/seagrant/pubs/on/msg97-500.html

Introduced fish: American Fisheries Society   http://www.afsifs.vt.edu/
Sea Lamprey   http://www.afsifs.vt.edu/lamprey.html

Sea Lamprey (Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters) 
    http://www.ofah.org/invading/invading.htm
This site provides brief description of Sea Lamprey and Ontario distribution map.

Lampricide Reduction: A High Priority in the Sea Lamprey Battle: Ohio Sea Grant's Twine Line
   http://www.sg.ohio-state.edu/PDFS/PUBLICATIONS/TWINELINE/1999/tl-ma-99.pdf
This site introduces the Great Lakes Fishery Commission's efforts and control programs against sea lamprey. 

Sea Lamprey Fishtank: Great Lakes Fishery Commission   http://www.glfc.org/slft.htm
Sea Lamprey Control  http://www.glfc.org/lampcon.htm
Sea Lamprey Annual Report  http://www.glfc.org/sealamp/slar.htm
This site provides the GLFC's program of integrated sea lamprey management including lampricide control, construction of barriers in streams to deny sea lampreys' entry, and an experimental program to reduce spawning success by releasing sterilized-male sea lampreys. This site includes very useful pictures that are easy to download and use for education and class.

Sea Lamprey: USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species
   http://nas.er.usgs.gov/fishes/accounts/petromyz/pe_marin.html
This page includes very detail information on identification, native range, occurrence, map, and references.

Grant Lakes Information Network (GLIN): Invasive Species in the Great Lakes Region     
     http://www.great-lakes.net/envt/flora-fauna/invasive/invasive.html
This site includes a comprehensive information on invasive species in the Great Lakes. 
Lamprey    http://www.great-lakes.net/envt/flora-fauna/invasive/lamprey.html

Sea Lamprey: University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute
    http://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/Publications/Fish/sealamprey.html
This fact sheet gives a brief description of the sea lamprey.

Journal articles cited by USGS
   Link