Aquatic Invasive Species

A recent study of Sea Lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) control methods was conducted by L.A. Velez-Espino and R.L. McLaughlin of the Department of Integrative Biology at the University of Guelph and T.C. Pratt of the Great Lakes Laboratory for Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences.

The invasion of Sea Lamprey into the Laurentian Great Lakes has had a profound impact on the local ecology. The lamprey has a parasitic stage during which it feeds on the blood and flesh of large fish, sometimes killing them. This along with habitat destruction and overfishing has led to declines in population and endangering of local host fish such as Lake Trout (Salvelinus namaycush).

The study employed matrix models to show that Sea Lamprey populations can continue to be controlled by decreasing use of chemical pesticides that specifically target the lamprey when it is in its parasitic stage and increasing use of alternative control methods that target the adults in their reproductive stages.

NRC Research Press Website: cjfas.nrc.ca, 2008