**The title, authors, and abstract for this completion report are provided below.  For a copy of the completion report, please contact the GLFC via e-mail or via telephone at 734-662-3209**

Field trials to evaluate the potential use of pheromones in sea lamprey control

Michael Jones^2, Michael Twohey³, Lee Hanson⁴, Peter Sorensen⁵, Weiming Li², Roy Stein⁶

 ² Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, 13 Natural Resources Bldg, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824-1222

³ U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Marquette Biological Station, Marquette , MI

 ⁴ 120 South B Street , Cheboygan , MI 49721

 ⁵ Department of Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Biology, University of Minnesota , St Paul , MN

 ⁶ Aquatic Ecology Laboratory, The Ohio State University , Columbus , OH

Abstract

Pheromones play a central role in the life history of sea lampreys. Larval sea lampreys (Petromyzon marinus) release a pheromone that attracts migrating adults to suitable spawning grounds in rivers; and upon arrival, spermiating males release a pheromone to lure ovulating females to their nests. Several possibilities have been identified to exploit this chemical communication system to reduce the abundance of sea lampreys in the Great Lakes. In this one-year proof-of-concept study we conducted two experiments designed to make an initial determination of the efficacy of two such tactics: (1) diverting migrating lampreys into small streams where they may be trapped at barriers, or where opportunities for traditional control are maximized; and, (2) luring sexually mature females into traps baited with spermiating males. In the first experiment, the addition of a low concentration of pheromone extracts from larval washings to one channel of a bifurcated stream attracted 106 of 117 actively migrating lampreys (>90%). Of these, 54 entered the barrier-trap emanating pheromone (vs. 10 that entered a control trap). In the second experiment, groups of ten ovulating females were exposed to three traps baited with 1, 5 or 10 spermiating males. When traps were arrayed cross-channel, more bait yielded more captures (1, 12 and 21 females captured over six trials, respectively).