Sea lamprey control in the Great Lakes: A Tribal/First Nations Representative’s perspective

Abstract

Sea lamprey control has been a dominant feature in the Great Lakes since the Great Lakes Fishery Commission (GLFC) formation in 1955. Review and recommendations on the sea lamprey control program are undertaken by a Sea Lamprey International Symposium (SLIS) held every twenty years beginning in 1979. In the forty-year history of the SLIS, this is the first paper on Indigenous perspectives in the published outputs and is an important inaugural step for the SLIS. However, one singular paper does not represent the viewpoints of the many independent Indigenous communities of the Great Lakes area. Willingness to understand the Indigenous perspective is the first step toward trust responsibility obligations and consultation with Tribes in the U.S. and engagement with First Nations in Canada. Indigenous peoples’ belief systems can include kinship ties between human and nature. In turn, this dictates respectful relationships toward all life forms. As such sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) can be considered a life form to merit respect which can be incongruent with contemporary sea lamprey control strategies. Perhaps it is time to consider future reviews of sea lamprey control within an Indigenous context and knowledge framework to assist in an equitable and sustainable future for the Great Lakes.