Invasive Species We Study: Sea Lamprey
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By Biological Threats and Invasive Species Research Program
July 8, 2024
The parasitic sea lamprey invaded the Great Lakes in the mid-20th Century devastating valuable native fisheries and coastal economies. The USGS’ Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center and the Great Lakes Science Center’s Hammond Bay Biological Station, in collaboration with the Great Lakes Fishery Commission, have been and continue to lead research on sea lamprey control, providing the science to keep sea lamprey populations at bay.
Sea Lamprey Research
Sea Lamprey Research
Sea Lamprey Publications
Sea Lamprey Publications
Explore our science using the data below.
Recent publications (2020-2022) related to USGS sea lamprey research are listed below. A complete listing of USGS sea lamprey publications is available from the button below.
Filter Total Items: 46
A review of an electric weir and fishway in a Great Lakes tributary from conception to termination A review of an electric weir and fishway in a Great Lakes tributary from conception to termination
A successful management plan requires clear goals and a process for evaluation. Without them, managers risk operational shifts in which continuous changes disguised as improvements may have little beneficial effect. The conception, design, and operation of an electric barrier and fishway on the Pere Marquette River of Lake Michigan serve as an illustration. The Great Lakes Fishery...
Authors
Jenna Tews, Jean V. Adams, Kevin Mann, Ellie Koon, John Heinrich
Behavioural response of sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) to acoustic stimuli in a small stream Behavioural response of sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) to acoustic stimuli in a small stream
Sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) are invasive in the Laurentian Great Lakes and parasitically feed on valued fishes. Migration barriers and selective pesticides are used to control sea lamprey, but there is a desire to develop additional control tools such as traps with nonphysical deterrents. Sound has been used as a deterrent for other invasive species, but its potential for...
Authors
Victoria Heath, Scott M. Miehls, Nicholas S. Johnson, Dennis Higgs
Investigating apparent misalignment of predator-prey dynamics: Great Lakes lake trout and sea lampreys Investigating apparent misalignment of predator-prey dynamics: Great Lakes lake trout and sea lampreys
Interpreting ecological dynamics is challenging when observed patterns are not aligned with presumed models. Investigating possible sources of uncertainty is critical to understand the underlying system and ultimately inform management decisions. In this study, we used simulation to investigate the hypothesis that observed inconsistencies in Great Lakes lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush)...
Authors
Jean V. Adams, Michael L. Jones, James R. Bence
Winter severity, fish community, and availability to traps explain most of the variability in estimates of adult sea lamprey in Lake Superior Winter severity, fish community, and availability to traps explain most of the variability in estimates of adult sea lamprey in Lake Superior
Animal populations are assessed to estimate rates of artificial and natural mortality at ecologically relevant spatial and temporal scales to develop exploitation quotas. But how the population’s natural mortality rate and how the ability to observe the population changes through time are poorly understood in most invasive fishes, despite efforts to control their populations. By...
Authors
Nicholas S. Johnson, Jean V. Adams, Gale Bravener, Jessica Barber, Ted Treska, Michael J Siefkes
Evaluation of visible light as a cue for guiding downstream migrant juvenile Sea Lamprey Evaluation of visible light as a cue for guiding downstream migrant juvenile Sea Lamprey
Light can modify orientation and locomotory behaviors in fish and has been applied to attract or repel migrant fish by inducing positive or negative phototaxis. Here, recently metamorphosed downstream‐migrating Sea Lamprey Petromyzon marinus were exposed to light cues in several orientations and intensities at night under controlled flowing‐water conditions in a laboratory flume...
Authors
Alexander Haro, Scott M. Miehls, Nicholas S. Johnson, C. Michael Wagner
Using simulation to understand annual sea lamprey marking rates on lake trout Using simulation to understand annual sea lamprey marking rates on lake trout
Sea lampreys attack fish, killing some and leaving marks on others. Great Lakes fishery managers rely on observed marking rates to assess the success of the sea lamprey control program and estimate sea lamprey-induced mortality of lake trout. Because marking rates are only observed on survivors of sea lamprey attacks, they may not provide a reliable index of actual attack or mortality...
Authors
Jean V. Adams, Michael L. Jones, James R. Bence
The parasitic sea lamprey invaded the Great Lakes in the mid-20th Century devastating valuable native fisheries and coastal economies. The USGS’ Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center and the Great Lakes Science Center’s Hammond Bay Biological Station, in collaboration with the Great Lakes Fishery Commission, have been and continue to lead research on sea lamprey control, providing the science to keep sea lamprey populations at bay.
Sea Lamprey Research
Sea Lamprey Research
Sea Lamprey Publications
Sea Lamprey Publications
Explore our science using the data below.
Recent publications (2020-2022) related to USGS sea lamprey research are listed below. A complete listing of USGS sea lamprey publications is available from the button below.
Filter Total Items: 46
A review of an electric weir and fishway in a Great Lakes tributary from conception to termination A review of an electric weir and fishway in a Great Lakes tributary from conception to termination
A successful management plan requires clear goals and a process for evaluation. Without them, managers risk operational shifts in which continuous changes disguised as improvements may have little beneficial effect. The conception, design, and operation of an electric barrier and fishway on the Pere Marquette River of Lake Michigan serve as an illustration. The Great Lakes Fishery...
Authors
Jenna Tews, Jean V. Adams, Kevin Mann, Ellie Koon, John Heinrich
Behavioural response of sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) to acoustic stimuli in a small stream Behavioural response of sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) to acoustic stimuli in a small stream
Sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) are invasive in the Laurentian Great Lakes and parasitically feed on valued fishes. Migration barriers and selective pesticides are used to control sea lamprey, but there is a desire to develop additional control tools such as traps with nonphysical deterrents. Sound has been used as a deterrent for other invasive species, but its potential for...
Authors
Victoria Heath, Scott M. Miehls, Nicholas S. Johnson, Dennis Higgs
Investigating apparent misalignment of predator-prey dynamics: Great Lakes lake trout and sea lampreys Investigating apparent misalignment of predator-prey dynamics: Great Lakes lake trout and sea lampreys
Interpreting ecological dynamics is challenging when observed patterns are not aligned with presumed models. Investigating possible sources of uncertainty is critical to understand the underlying system and ultimately inform management decisions. In this study, we used simulation to investigate the hypothesis that observed inconsistencies in Great Lakes lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush)...
Authors
Jean V. Adams, Michael L. Jones, James R. Bence
Winter severity, fish community, and availability to traps explain most of the variability in estimates of adult sea lamprey in Lake Superior Winter severity, fish community, and availability to traps explain most of the variability in estimates of adult sea lamprey in Lake Superior
Animal populations are assessed to estimate rates of artificial and natural mortality at ecologically relevant spatial and temporal scales to develop exploitation quotas. But how the population’s natural mortality rate and how the ability to observe the population changes through time are poorly understood in most invasive fishes, despite efforts to control their populations. By...
Authors
Nicholas S. Johnson, Jean V. Adams, Gale Bravener, Jessica Barber, Ted Treska, Michael J Siefkes
Evaluation of visible light as a cue for guiding downstream migrant juvenile Sea Lamprey Evaluation of visible light as a cue for guiding downstream migrant juvenile Sea Lamprey
Light can modify orientation and locomotory behaviors in fish and has been applied to attract or repel migrant fish by inducing positive or negative phototaxis. Here, recently metamorphosed downstream‐migrating Sea Lamprey Petromyzon marinus were exposed to light cues in several orientations and intensities at night under controlled flowing‐water conditions in a laboratory flume...
Authors
Alexander Haro, Scott M. Miehls, Nicholas S. Johnson, C. Michael Wagner
Using simulation to understand annual sea lamprey marking rates on lake trout Using simulation to understand annual sea lamprey marking rates on lake trout
Sea lampreys attack fish, killing some and leaving marks on others. Great Lakes fishery managers rely on observed marking rates to assess the success of the sea lamprey control program and estimate sea lamprey-induced mortality of lake trout. Because marking rates are only observed on survivors of sea lamprey attacks, they may not provide a reliable index of actual attack or mortality...
Authors
Jean V. Adams, Michael L. Jones, James R. Bence