Pacific Lamprey Fact Sheet

Morphology and Physiology of Lamprey Metamorphosis

Occurrence of pathogens in Pacific lamprey (Entosphenus tridentatus)

Abstract Pacific lamprey (Entosphenus tridentatus) is a First Food of Native Americans. Declines in lamprey abundance due to dam construction and habitat loss have curtailed traditional harvest opportunities. Artificial propagation is an emerging recovery tool for this imperiled species, and other lamprey species in Finland and Japan. To manage disease risk at prospective lamprey hatcheries, it is critical to understand the pathogens and parasites most likely to affect lamprey and other fish, both in culture and in the wild. We assembled data from regional fish health laboratories to assess pathogen prevalence in Pacific lamprey sampled from various sources (518 adults, 275 larvae, and one juvenile). In adults,...

First evidence of attraction of adult river lamprey in the migratory phase to larval odour

Sexually immature, adult river lamprey Lampetra fluviatilis in the upstream migratory phase, were shown to be attracted to water conditioned with ammocoete larvae when tested using a two-choice flume. Although preliminary, the data suggest that migrating adult river lamprey may be attracted to larval putative pheromone as recorded in sea lamprey Petromyzon marinus.

PACIFIC LAMPREY RESEARCH AND RESTORATION PROJECT ANNUAL REPORT 2001

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Pacific lamprey (Lampetra tridentata) has significantly declined along the Oregon coast and in the Columbia River Basin (Downey et al. 1993; Close and Jackson 2001). Declines in adults can be partially attributed to hydroelectric dams, which have impeded passage of adult Pacific lamprey in the Columbia and Snake rivers (Moser et al. 2002), thus effecting larval recruitment in the basin (Moser and Close, in press). Adult Pacific lamprey also declined in numbers in the Umatilla River, a tributary of the Columbia River (Close and Jackson 1999). In addition to hydro power dams in the Columbia River, habitat alterations and chemical treatments have been involved in the collapse of Pacific lamprey populations...

Larval Lamprey Assessment at Wapato and Sunnyside Fish Screening Facilities

Occurrence of the Pacific Lamprey, Entosphenus tridentatus, off Baja California and in Streams of Southern California; with Remarks on its Nomenclature

Genetic diversity, endemism and phylogeny of lampreys within the genus Lampetra sensu stricto (Petromyzontiformes: Petromyzontidae) in western North America

Phylogenetic structure of four Lampetra species from the Pacific drainage of North America (western brook lamprey Lampetra richardsoni, Pacific brook lamprey Lampetra pacifica, river lamprey Lampetra ayresii and Kern brook lamprey Lampetra hubbsi ) and unidentified Lampetra specimens (referred to as Lampetra sp.) from 36 locations was estimated using the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene. Maximum parsimony and Bayesian inferences did not correspond with any taxonomic scheme proposed to date. Rather, although L. richardsoni (from Alaska to California) and L. ayresii (from British Columbia to California) together constituted a well-supported clade distinct from several genetically divergent Lampetra populations in Oregon...

Measurements, Counts, and Observations on Four Lamprey Species from Kentucky (Ichtyomyzon, Lampetra and Entosphenus)

Abstract: Proportional measurements, myomere and buccal-cusp counts, and comments on pigmentation are presented for four Kentucky lampreys. Comparisons are made with similar data reported in the literature.

Videos - Ocean Observations of Pacific Lamprey

A Protocol for Collecting Environmental DNA Samples From Streams

Environmental DNA (eDNA) is DNA that has been released by an organism into its environment, such that the DNA can be found in air, water, or soil. In aquatic systems, eDNA has been shown to provide a sampling approach that is more sensitive for detecting target organisms faster, and less expensively than previous approaches. However, eDNA needs to be sampled in a manner that has been tested and found effective and, because single copies of target DNA are detected reliably, rigorous procedures must be designed to avoid sample contamination. Here we provide the details of a sampling protocol designed for detecting fish. This protocol, or very similar prototypes, has been used to collect data reported in multiple peerreviewed...

Conservation in a cup of water: estimating biodiversity and population abundance from environmental DNA

Three mantras often guide species and ecosystem management: (i) for preventing invasions by harmful species, ‘early detection and rapid response’; (ii) for conserving imperilled native species, ‘protection of biodiversity hotspots’; and (iii) for assessing biosecurity risk, ‘an ounce of prevention equals a pound of cure.’ However, these and other management goals are elusive when traditional sampling tools (e.g. netting, traps, electrofishing, visual surveys) have poor detection limits, are too slow or are not feasible. One visionary solution is to use an organism’s DNA in the environment (eDNA), rather than the organism itself, as the target of detection. In this issue of Molecular Ecology, Thomsen et al. (2012)...

Water Quality

Preliminary Report on Mercury Geochemistry of Placer Gold Dredge Tailings, Sediments, Bedrock, and Waters in the Clear Creek Restoration Area, Shasta County, California

Abstract Clear Creek, one of the major tributaries of the upper Sacramento River, drains the eastern Trinity Mountains. Alluvial plain and terrace gravels of lower Clear Creek, at the northwest edge of the Sacramento Valley, contain placer gold that has been mined since the Gold Rush by various methods including dredging. In addition, from the 1950s to the 1980s aggregate-mining operations removed gravel from the lower Clear Creek flood plain. Since Clear Creek is an important stream for salmon production, a habitat restoration program is underway to repair damage from mining and improve conditions for spawning. This program includes using dredge tailings to fill in gravel pits in the flood plain, raising the concern...

eDNA

Phylogeny of the lamprey genus Lampetra inferred from mitochondrial cytochrome b and ND3 gene sequences

Mitochrondrial DNA analysis resolved many previously unanswered questions concerning the phylogeny of the lamprey genus Lampetra (comprising the subgenera Entosphenus, Lethenteron, and Lampetra). A total of 735 base pairs were sequenced from the cytochrome b and NADH dehydrogenase subunit 3 (ND3) genes in 11 lamprey species. With the exception of L . (E.) hubbsi from California, species of the Entosphenus subgenus formed a tight-knit clade that was very distinct from the other two subgenera. Lampetra hubbsi clustered with species of the Lampetra subgenus from the west coast of North America (L . ayresii and L . richardsoni) whereas species of the Lampetra subgenus from Atlantic drainages, namely the North American...

Comparing Efficiency of American Fisheries Society Standard Snorkeling Techniques to Environmental DNA Sampling Techniques

Abstract Analysis of environmental DNA (eDNA) is an emerging technique used to detect aquatic species through water sampling and the extraction of biological material for amplification. Our study compared the efficacy of eDNA methodology to American Fisheries Society (AFS) standard snorkeling surveys with regard to detecting the presence of rare fish species. Knowing which method is more efficient at detecting target species will help managers to determine the best way to sample when both traditional sampling methods and eDNA sampling are available. Our study site included three Navajo Nation streams that contained Navajo Nation Genetic Subunit Bluehead Suckers Catostomus discobolus and Zuni Bluehead Suckers C....

Pilot Field Trial of the Juvenile Lamprey/Eel Tag and RME Plan to Guide Future Juvenile Pacific Lamprey Acoustic Telemetry Studies

In the Columbia River Basin, the Pacific lamprey (Entosphenus tridentatus) is of special concern because their populations have significantly declined in the past 40 years. Construction and operation of hydroelectric facilities may have influenced these declines because they occurred after the period of major hydroelectric development. Knowledge of lamprey behavior and survival are critical for developing mitigation strategies for downstream passage, including the design of bypass systems at hydroelectric facilities and irrigation diversion structures. With funding from the U.S. Department of Energy Water Power Technologies Office, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory completed the...

Morphological analysis of geographic variation of sea lamprey ammocoetes in Portuguese river basins

Abstract The main objective of this study was to compare the morphological variability of sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus L.) larvae from the main Portuguese river basins. Samples were collected in rivers Minho, Lima, Ca´vado, Vouga, Mondego, Tejo and Guadiana. Specimens were analysed in terms of morphometric (linear body measures) and meristic (number of myomeres) characters to investigate the hypothesis of population fragmentation between river basins caused by some degree of homing behaviour. The discriminant analysis showed a morphological segregation of the studied populations based on the characters head, tail and branchial length. The discriminatory power of the meristic characters was comparatively weaker,...

A STATUS OF PACIFIC LAMPREY IN THE MID-COLUMBIA REGION