Dispelling misperceptions of native lampreys (Entosphenus and Lampetra spp.) in the Pacific northwest (USA)

Abstract

AbstractNative lampreys continue to be misunderstood by some citizens in the Pacific Northwest (PNW; USA). This misunderstanding is caused by persistent misperceptions reinforced in media and exacerbated by a long‐running (mid‐1900s to present) and pervasive outreach campaign on the control of the invasive sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) in the Laurentian Great Lakes, Lake Champlain and the Finger Lakes of New York. The use of outreach to encourage conservation of native lampreys in the PNW has been comparatively recent. Along with other native non‐salmonid fishes, lampreys were perceived by Euro‐American settlers as “undesirable”, “coarse” or “trash” fish that parasitized desirable trouts and salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) and competed with them for environmental resources. These concerns have been magnified by the seemingly physical and ecological similarities between native and invasive sea lampreys. To dispel the misperceptions of native lampreys, we recommend a multi‐prong approach that: sharpens the specificity of outreach materials on sea lamprey control; develops outreach media that distinguishes invasive and native lampreys, includes recognition of the multiple ecosystem benefits that native lampreys offer, and includes hands‐on, place‐based learning led by or in collaboration with local tribes that can provide cultural context, and employs a broad outreach campaign to facilitate conservation of native lampreys.