Assessment of Lamprey and Fish Stocks in the Great Lakes in Relation to Control of the Sea Lamprey (Petromyzon marinus): Report from the SLIS Assessment Measurements Task Force

Abstract

Available and potential methodology for assessing lamprey and prey fish populations is related to existing and future requirements of the sea lamprey control program of the Great Lakes Fishery Commission (GLFC). For lamprey, we recommend that the classification of Great Lakes tributaries according to their potential for larval production and the quality of lamprey attack data should be improved and standardized; standardized collections of spawning run adults should be continued; research should be encouraged on attractants and repellents, a male sterilization program, and the biology of parasitic phase animals. For fish, we recommend that more emphasis be given to the precision and standardization of estimates to allow better comparison between places and years, and the assessment of fish stocks other than major prey species; the GLFC support an evaluation program of an important prey species; and that other assessment methods (e.g. acoustic; counts of entrained fish) be explored. Because lamprey control is a long-term process that may span periods of environmental change, monitoring of physical, chemical, and biotic factors should be encouraged. Research on the impact of lampricides on nontarget organisms should be expanded. We also discuss and offer suggestions on the future of sea lamprey control.Key words: stock assessment, fishery surveys, methodology, populations control, proposed research