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

Lamprey spawning migration

During recent decades, new insights regarding the spawning migration of lampreys have been gained due to advances in technology and growing interest in this key life history phase. The development of miniaturized active and passive transmitters has led to detailed information on the timing and extent of lamprey migrations. These tools, together with sophisticated laboratory experiments, have provided fertile ground for studies of lamprey migratory physiology and behavior. New molecular tools have been applied to questions of population structure and philopatry, while the identification of lamprey pheromones has illuminated heretofore unimagined mechanisms of migration and orientation. Interest in spawning migration has been spurred by the growing need to restore native lamprey populations and the equally pressing need to control invasive sea lamprey in the Laurentian Great Lakes. While important advances in anadromous lamprey biology have been achieved, gaps remain in our understanding of marine movements, species-specific differences, mechanisms of orientation, and the factors controlling passage success. Moreover, with the exception of the landlocked sea lamprey in the Great Lakes, research on the spawning migrations of the strictly potamodromous species (i.e., those that are parasitic in fresh water and the non-parasitic “brook” lampreys) is sorely lacking, seriously compromising our ability to assess what constitutes barriers to their migration