Theme overview
The Great Lakes Fishery Commission employs an integrated pest management program to control sea lampreys across the Great Lakes basin. Cost effective control requires good assessment information as well as current knowledge about population dynamics. Assessment of sea lamprey populations is used to inform decisions about which control methods to use as well as timing and location of their deployment. Sea lamprey assessment data are also used to evaluate the performance of past management actions. For spawning phase lamprey, research focuses on migration timing, mating systems, and factors influencing spawning success. For recruitment to age 1, research needs are factors affecting recruitment variation and methods for age estimation. For larval lampreys, the primary target of control efforts using lampricides, the key questions concern the accuracy of assessment methods used to guide lampricide treatment decisions and effects of uncertainty on the utility of these methods. For parasitic phase lampreys, the main questions center on the nature of the host attack process and variation in survival. The development of integrated models to evaluate control strategies remains a high priority for research.
Theme paper
Theme leaders
Theme leaders are available to be contacted to discuss potential research proposals and their relevance to theme area priorities.
Field Supervisor, Sea Lamprey Control
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
3090 Wright Street, Marquette, MI 49855
Phone: (906) 226-1241
jessica_barber@fws.gov
Relevant resources
A complete list of completion reports and scientific papers resulting from this theme can be found in the commission's publication database.