**ABSTRACT NOT FOR
CITATION WITHOUT AUTHOR PERMISSION. The title, authors, and abstract for
this completion report are provided below. For a copy
of the full completion report, please contact the author via e-mail at tcastrosantos@usgs.gov.
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2 USGS-Leetown
Science Center; S.O. Conte Anadromous Fish Research Center, One Migratory Way,
Turners Falls, MA 01376
3 Harvard
University, Lauder Laboratory. 26 Oxford
Street, Cambridge, MA 02138.
4 Centre
for Sustainable Aquatic Resources (CSAR), Fisheries and Marine Institute of
Memorial University; P.O. Box 4920, St. Johns, NL, A1C 5R3.
February 2019
ABSTRACT:
Selective passage of
native fishes through barriers that prevent passage of Sea Lamprey (Petromyzon marinus)
is a priority of the Great Lakes Fisheries Commission. We measured swimming performance, endurance,
and behaviors of Sea Lamprey as well as two species native to the Great Lakes (White
Sucker (Catostomus commersoni)
and Walleye (Sander vitreus))
subjected to a 35-m long open channel flume passing velocities of up to 4.5 m s-1.
Fish were tagged with passive integrated transponders
(PIT tags) and were allowed to enter the flume volitionally from a low-velocity
staging area. Progress and movements were monitored
with an array of 20 PIT antennas. The
study was performed over two years: in the first year
all fish ascended a bare flume; in the second year the flume was lined with an
attachment-inhibiting substrate. The
substrate had no effect on the native fishes, but greatly impeded movement of Sea
Lampreys, particularly at speeds > 2.0 m s-1. Distance of ascent varied widely among
individual attempts within each species.
Although Sea Lampreys ascended shorter distances on average than their
native counterparts, this difference was insufficient to
reliably provide selective passage.
Lampreys performed better than expected, reaching swim speeds as high as
8 body lengths s-1, and staging attempts at
a rate far greater than the native species.
The combination of greater-than-expected endurance, high attempt rate,
and large body size all contributed to the performance of Sea Lamprey. Nevertheless, the results are encouraging,
showing that hydraulic barriers hold potential for Sea Lamprey control and
selective fish passage.