Spawning Behavior and Fecundity of Lampreys from the Upper Three Great Lakes

1980 ◽  
Vol 37 (11) ◽  
pp. 1635-1640 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick J. Manion ◽  
Lee H. Hanson

Five species of lampreys are found in the upper three Great Lakes. All species require certain physical factors for successful spawning such as suitable bottom substrates, water velocities, and temperatures. Nest construction (usually started by males) and spawning behavior are similar although some differences exist. In sea lamprey an average spawning act lasts about 2–5 s and is repeated every 4–5 min; generally nesting is monogamous with little polyandrous nesting (1.2–5.0%); average egg production is about 60 000 eggs. An estimated 86% of the eggs of sea lamprey are not deposited in the nests; however, the fertilization and survival of eggs deposited in the nest is high and may approach 90%.Key words: Petromyzon marinus, Ichthyomyzon unicuspis, I. castaneus, I. fossor, Lampetra lamottei, spawning requirement, nest construction, fecundity, nest productivity, water temperature


1977 ◽  
Vol 34 (9) ◽  
pp. 1373-1378 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. J. Farmer ◽  
F. W. H. Beamish ◽  
P. F. Lett

Groups of sea lampreys (Petromyzon marinus) of 10–90 g initial weight were held at temperatures of 1–20 °C for 30 days and allowed to feed ad lib. on white suckers (Catostomus commersoni). Increases in water temperature and in lamprey size caused the rate of host mortality to increase in agreement with observations that mortality in the Great Lakes is seasonal. Instantaneous growth rates were maximal at 20 °C for lampreys of 10–30 g, the optimal temperature for growth shifting to 15 °C for larger lampreys of 30–90 g. Growth rates were intermediate at 10 °C and lowest at 4 °C for lampreys of all size. Accordingly, host mortality increased with temperature over the 4–20 °C range. At all experimental temperatures, increases in lamprey weight were accompanied by an exponential decline in instantaneous growth rates, a phenomenon also observed for teleosts. Laboratory growth rates at temperatures of 5–15 °C were comparable to rates observed for lampreys in Lake Huron between April and November and agree with the observation that lampreys feed in deeper waters between April and June before moving to warmer, shallower waters during the summer when growth rate increases. Key words: sea lamprey, white sucker, host, temperature, growth, Great Lakes, mortality



1980 ◽  
Vol 37 (11) ◽  
pp. 1811-1826 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. H. Morman ◽  
D. W. Cuddy ◽  
P. C. Rugen

The sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) is widely distributed in the Great Lakes but it is absent from or scarce in large parts of the watershed. Since 1957, larval sea lampreys have been detected in only 433 (7.5%) of the 5747 streams in the Great Lakes basin. Parasitic-phase sea lampreys range throughout the lakes, wherever suitable host fishes occur, but probably do not inhabit the western and central basins of Lake Erie to any great extent during summer. Many environmental conditions influence the distribution of sea lampreys. Streamflow and water temperature are of major importance in attracting spawning runs to streams. The dispersal of spawning adults within streams is influenced mainly by blockages, water temperature, current, bottom type, and the presence of inland lakes. Water temperature is probably the most important factor affecting the development and survival of embryos. The distribution of larval lampreys is limited primarily by barriers that block adult spawning runs, warm temperatures, low and unstable flows, hard stream bottom, and pollution; nonetheless, larvae have been found in a wide range of habitats exhibiting these conditions. Interconnecting waterways and attachment to fishes and boats are considered major factors in the lake movements of parasitic-phase lampreys.Key words: sea lamprey, Petromyzon marinus; Great Lakes, geographic distribution, influences, movement, spawning, larvae, parasitic, control



1980 ◽  
Vol 37 (11) ◽  
pp. 1989-2006 ◽  
Author(s):  
Everett Louis King Jr.

Criteria for the classification of marks inflicted by sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) into nine categories were developed from laboratory studies in an attempt to refine the classification system used in field assessment work. These criteria were based on characteristics of the attachment site that could be identified under field conditions by unaided visual means and by touching the attachment site. Healing of these marks was somewhat variable and was influenced by the size of lamprey, duration of attachment, severity of the wound at lamprey detachment, season and water temperature, and by other less obvious factors. Even under laboratory conditions staging of some wounds was difficult, especially at low water temperatures. If these criteria are to be used effectively and with precision in the field, close examination of individual fish may be required. If the feeding and density of specific year-classes of sea lampreys are to be accurately assessed on an annual basis, close attention to the wound size (as it reflects the size of the lamprey's oral disc) and character of wounds on fish will be required as well as consideration of the season of the year in which they are observed.Key words: sea lamprey, attack marks, lake trout, Great Lakes



2008 ◽  
Vol 65 (2) ◽  
pp. 227-244 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luis Antonio Vélez-Espino ◽  
Robert L McLaughlin ◽  
Thomas C Pratt

We use matrix models incorporating uncertainty in values of life history traits and density-dependent survival to assess pest management strategies implemented by the Great Lakes Fishery Commission to control nonnative sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) in the Laurentian Great Lakes. The primary method of sea lamprey control has been treatment of rearing tributaries with chemical lampricides, but release of sterilized males and deployment of migratory barriers and traps are important components of the management plan. Uncertainties in the effectiveness of alternative control remain, however. Our models demonstrated that the management target of reducing lampricide use by 20% while maintaining current levels of control could be achieved if alternative methods are used to suppress current lake-wide fecundity rates by 49%–65%, assuming equal lampricide efficiency on larvae and metamorphosing individuals, or by 42%–55% when lampricide mortality on larvae is assumed to be half of that on metamorphosing individuals. At current levels of lampricide use, reduction to 72%–88% of current fecundity rates is recommended to ensure long-term control of sea lamprey populations in the face of uncertainty in current estimates of population growth rates. New control options targeting additional vital rates, such as survival of the parasitic life stage, could further reduce reliance on lampricides while maintaining effective sea lamprey control.



2019 ◽  
Vol 76 (7) ◽  
pp. 1186-1202 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ronald E. Thresher ◽  
Michael Jones ◽  
D. Andrew R. Drake

For more than two decades the Great Lakes Fishery Commission has sought tactics to complement, and potentially replace, the use of barriers and lampricides to control sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) in the Great Lakes, but thus far without success. This paper examines the potential of modern genetic technology to suppress these invasive populations. We identified six recombinant options that appeared to be moderately to highly feasible, most of which were judged by an expert panel as extremely low or low risk, and for which research and development was broadly supported by stakeholders. The two options judged to overall best combine high efficacy and low risks were a Mendelian “sex ratio drive” and genetically modifying a prey species combined with killing or sterilizing sea lamprey that fed on it. Core issues regarding use of genetic biocontrol in the Great Lakes include technical problems associated with maintaining a sea lamprey brood line, information gaps for most options, the extent of broader public support, and the extent and nature of national and international consultation required in making decisions about control options.



Author(s):  
F.B. Neave ◽  
R.M.W. Booth ◽  
R.R. Philipps ◽  
D.A. Keffer ◽  
G.A. Bravener ◽  
...  


1970 ◽  
Vol 48 (6) ◽  
pp. 1313-1316 ◽  
Author(s):  
John H. Youson

The kidneys at all stages consist of renal corpuscles, tubules, and an archinephric duct. The kidney of the ammocoete does not contribute to the formation of the adult kidney for at transformation a new kidney is formed. Degeneration of kidney tissue occurs at four stages: in the anterior regions throughout larval life; in the entire ammocoete kidney at transformation; in the anterior regions throughout adult life; in the entire kidney during the spawning migration. Large quantities of amorphous material appear in the interstitium during anterior degeneration of the adult. The other stages involve necrosis followed by the invasion of phagocytes.



2011 ◽  
Vol 68 (3) ◽  
pp. 523-533 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lance A. Vrieze ◽  
Roger A. Bergstedt ◽  
Peter W. Sorensen

Stream-finding behavior of adult sea lamprey ( Petromyzon marinus ), an anadromous fish that relies on pheromones to locate spawning streams, was documented in the vicinity of an important spawning river in the Great Lakes. Untreated and anosmic migrating sea lampreys were implanted with acoustic transmitters and then released outside the Ocqueoc River. Lampreys swam only at night and then actively. When outside of the river plume, lampreys pursued relatively straight bearings parallel to the shoreline while making frequent vertical excursions. In contrast, when within the plume, lampreys made large turns and exhibited a weak bias towards the river mouth, which one-third of them entered. The behavior of anosmic lampreys resembled that of untreated lampreys outside of the plume, except they pursued a more northerly compass bearing. To locate streams, sea lampreys appear to employ a three-phase odor-mediated strategy that involves an initial search along shorelines while casting vertically, followed by river-water-induced turning that brings them close to the river’s mouth, which they then enter using rheotaxis. This novel strategy differs from that of salmonids and appears to offer this poor swimmer adaptive flexibility and suggests ways that pheromonal odors might be used to manage this invasive species.



2003 ◽  
Vol 29 ◽  
pp. 253-282 ◽  
Author(s):  
James R. Bence ◽  
Roger A. Bergstedt ◽  
Gavin C. Christie ◽  
Phillip A. Cochran ◽  
Mark P. Ebener ◽  
...  


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