Population ecology of the sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) as an invasive species in the Laurentian Great Lakes and an imperiled species in Europe

The sea lamprey Petromyzon marinus (Linnaeus) is both an invasive non-native species in the Laurentian Great Lakes of North America and an imperiled species in much of its native range in North America and Europe. To compare and contrast how understanding of population ecology is useful for control programs in the Great Lakes and restoration programs in Europe, we review current understanding of the population ecology of the sea lamprey in its native and introduced range. Some attributes of sea lamprey population ecology are particularly useful for both control programs in the Great Lakes and restoration programs in the native range. First, traps within fish ladders are beneficial for removing sea lampreys in Great Lakes streams and passing sea lampreys in the native range. Second, attractants and repellants are suitable for luring sea lampreys into traps for control in the Great Lakes and guiding sea lamprey passage for conservation in the native range. Third, assessment methods used for targeting sea lamprey control in the Great Lakes are useful for targeting habitat protection in the native range. Last, assessment methods used to quantify numbers of all life stages of sea lampreys would be appropriate for measuring success of control in the Great Lakes and success of conservation in the native range

A management-scale investigation of consistent individual differences in behaviour and trapping bias in Sea Lamprey (Petromyzon marinus)

The Sea Lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) is invasive in the Laurentian Great Lakes. Trapping in large rivers could suppress Sea Lamprey recruitment by removing migrating adults prior to spawning. Currently, the proportion of Sea Lamprey trapped (efficiency) is too low for control purposes, possibly because trapping is biased toward certain behavioural types. We tested if individual differences in time to enter a novel environment (risk-taking) and proportion of time moving (activity) under standardized laboratory conditions were correlated with time to encounter and enter a trap in the field. 638 Sea Lamprey were tagged, assessed for risk-taking and activity in sequential trials, and released in the river to be trapped. In the laboratory, individuals differed consistently in risk-taking and activity behaviours, and more active individuals entered a simulated trap sooner than less active individuals. In the field, however, the times to first trap encounter, and capture in a trap, were not correlated with risk-taking or activity. Our study provides a novel demonstration of how patterns from small-scale behavioural studies may not extend to management-scale applications.The accepted manuscript in pdf format is listed with the files at the bottom of this page. The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the manuscript may differ slightly between what is listed on this page and what is listed in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript; that in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript is what was submitted by the author

Evaluating the utility of effective breeding size estimates for monitoring sea lamprey spawning abundance

Abstract Sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) is an invasive species that is a significant source of mortality for populations of valued fish species across the North American Great Lakes. Large annual control programs are needed to reduce the species' impacts; however, the number of successfully spawning adults cannot currently be accurately assessed. In this study, effective breeding size (Nb) and the minimum number of spawning adults (Ns) were estimated for larval cohorts from 17 tributaries across all five Great Lakes using single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) genotyped via RAD‐capture sequencing. Reconstructed larval pedigrees showed substantial variability in the size and number of full‐ and half‐sibling groups, Nb (<1–367), and Ns (5–545) among streams. Generalized linear models examining the effects of stream environmental characteristics and aspects of sampling regimes on Nb and Ns estimates identified sample size, the number of sampling sites, and drainage area as important factors predicting Nb and Ns. Correlations between Nb, Ns, and capture–mark–recapture estimates of adult census size (Nc) increased when streams with small sample sizes (n < 50) were removed. Results collectively indicate that parameters estimated from genetic data can provide valuable information on spawning adults in a river system, especially if sampling regimes are standardized and physical stream covariates are included

Spatial mismatch between sea lamprey behaviour and trap location explains low success at trapping for control

Understanding space use and the environmental features affecting it can be crucial to the management of invasive species. Improved understanding of space use in invasive Sea Lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) could help discern why trap success is lower than desired. We tested if manipulating discharge could increase trap success at a hydro-generating station on the St. Marys River. We quantified numbers of acoustic tagged Sea Lampreys migrating up to, and their space use at, the hydro-generating station. In 2011 and 2012, 78% and 68% of tagged individuals reached the generating station, respectively. Sea Lampreys were active along the face, but more likely to occur at the bottom, and away from traps near the surface, especially when discharge was high. Our findings suggest that low probabilities of encountering traps was due to spatial mismatch between the space use of Sea Lamprey and the trap locations. Furthermore, increasing discharge did not alter space use in ways that increase encounter. Understanding the space use of invasive species can help managers assess trap efficacy and ways of improving trapping success.The accepted manuscript in pdf format is listed with the files at the bottom of this page. The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the manuscript may differ slightly between what is listed on this page and what is listed in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript; that in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript is what was submitted by the author