A Summary of Adult Pacific Lamprey Research

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A Summary of Adult Pacific Lamprey
Research Chris Peery U.S. Fish Wildlife
Service Matt Keefer and Chris Caudill University
of Idaho Mary Moser NOAA Fisheries U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers
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Topics Conversion through dams Daytime Counts
Nighttime Telemetry and PIT monitoring Timing
and Migration Behavior Model habitat
availability and what attracts adults to spawning
habitat Homing Genetics Future research
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There use to be more
Annual counts of Pacific lampreys at the Red
Bluff Diversion Dam on the upper Sacramento River
have declined from 38,492 in 1972 to 107 or less
since 1996. Center For Biological diversity 2003
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Upstream Run Progression Based on Daytime Counts
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Lamprey are more active at night
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Nighttime Video Counts
Bonneville Dam 2007
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Nighttime Video Counts
Bonneville Dam 2008
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Radio Telemetry to Assess Passage Efficiencies
Passage efficiency 2000-2002
Bonneville 47 The Dalles 74 John Day
53 McNary 69
(32 2008) (68 2008) (58 2008) ( 4/5 2008)
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Surgical implant PIT tag
Half Duplex PIT
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Shielded Antennas
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Shielded HD PIT installations
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Comparison of Radio Telemetry and HD PIT Tag
Effects
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Upstream Run Progression Based on HD PIT
Bonneville 42-53 The Dalles
28-33 John Day 17-19 McNary
4-6 Ice Harbor 1
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• Lamprey Migration Timing Bonneville Dam
• Migrate earliest in warm, low-discharge years,
  later during cooler and higher discharge.
• Few fish pass Bonneville Dam before temperatures
  reached 15C.
• On average, about half of all lamprey passed by
  the time water temperatures reached 19C.
• 20 or less lamprey are counted after peak summer
  temperature (21-23C Keefer et al. 2009).

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Travel from Bonneville to McNary dams 17-19 d, 12
to 14 km/d medians (2006-2007 HD PIT fish)
Snake River Fish Tend to Migrate Earlier
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Fish Size Effects
Fish size varies annually Radio tags
HD-PIT 2005 500 g 68 cm 439 g 67 cm 2006 482
g 67 cm 452 g, 66 cm 2007 445 g 65 cm 431 g, 65
cm 2008 464 g 66 cm 434 g, 65 cm
Size varies as fish migrate
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Fish Size Effects
Mean Lipid Content Bonneville Dam 19 (91/483 g)
vs. McNary Dam 14 (59/418 g) - 26 or
35 reduction in 235km
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Fish Size Effects
Larger fish (weight) more likely to pass dams and
between dams 0.3-0.8 improvement per g of
weight
Largest fish from Bonneville ended up in Snake
River
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Fish Size Effects
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Genetics Two main studies with Columbia River
genetics Goodman 2006 mtDNA along Pacific
Coast, no interbasin differences Supports
panmictic theory (see also Close results) Lin
et al. 2008 genetic DNA, Found gross
differences between geographic regions Little
difference within Columbia River Similar
findings for sea lamprey (Waldman et al. 2008)
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There is genetic variation/diversity within
Pacific lamprey populations, Little evidence to
date for fine-scale population differentiation
based on geographic isolation
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Attractants to Migration Guidance
No evidence of homing in sea lamprey in Great
Lakes region, CWT study (Berdstedt and
Seelye 1995) RT Adult Pacific lamprey from
Willamette Falls and Bonneville did not exhibit
fidelity to collection sites. (Close
et al. 1995)
Adult lamprey found to be attracted to bile acids
released by juvenile rearing ammocoetes.
(Li et al. 1995 Fine et al.
2004) Sea lamprey females are attracted to
reproductive phermones from males
(Wagner et al 2006)
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Spawning Habitat
Both sexes construct nests in gravel pool tail
out large gravel 40 - 60 cm in diameter less
than 1 m in depth mean 2.4 ft/s (Close et al.
1995).
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Future Research
What factors affect migration cues, attraction,
incentives Incentive for fish to continue
migrating and effects on current
distribution. Behavior and loss in reservoirs
acoustic telemetry monitoring Continued work to
develop structural and operational changes to
improve passage and escapement to upstream
areas.
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Future Research
Develop recovery and conservation
strategies Translocation programs costs and
benefits Population dynamic models Aquacultu
re/supplementation programs