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The Lake Champlain Sea Lamprey Control Program: Opportunities for Adaptive
Management
Eammon Coughlin, Dan Jenkins, Nate Anderson, Eric Davis, Tomas Glaspy
Statement of Purpose Reevaluate the sea lamprey control
program as part of an adaptive management scheme
Assess alternative non-toxin based treatment methods
Make recommendations for further research and program expansion
The Problem Health of Lake Champlain and its
tributaries is important for Vermont and New York residents
The Lake Champlain basin itself supports a 2.9 billion dollar a year tourism market that is crucial to the economy of both Vermont and New York
Experimental Control Program Produced a 3.5:1 benefit to cost ratio
Trap catches decreased 80-90% between 1989 and 1997
Produced lower lamprey wounding rates and increased survival for the 3-4 year old age class of lake trout
Lamprey as a native species A paper from the University of Michigan
indicates that lamprey are most likely native to Lake Champlain and have existed here for 11,500 years
This may raise important management questions as it indicates that high lamprey populations may be a human induced problem
The Problem (cont.) Uncontrolled lamprey
populations pose risk to fish populations in the Lake and its tributaries
Extensive lampricide use can pose a risk to the health and integrity of the Lake and its tributaries
Two Main Lampricides 3-trifluoro-methyl-4-
nitrophenol (TFM) niclosamide 5-chloro-
N-(2-chloro-4-nitro-phenyl)-2-hydroxy-benzamide (Bayer 73)
TFM and Bayer 73 EPA’s 1999 report reveals that “there are
ecological concerns with the use of these compounds since impacts are expected to non-target aquatic organism populations; however, the benefits of controlling the populations of sea lamprey are expected to out weigh the risks to aquatic organisms.”
Non-Target Species Northern Brook Lamprey and American
Brook Lamprey
Stone Cat, log perch, bluntnose minnow
Crayfish, Mudpuppy, Red-spotted Newt, Mussel Species
Mayfly nymphs
Lamprey Traps targets spawning
adult lamprey
most effective where lamprey concentrations are highest
success depends on high catch efficiency
Barrier Dams designed to impede spawning migration of
adult lamprey
limited by cost, environmental suitability, or problems with restricting migratory fish passage
most effective when used in conjunction with traps
Sterilization Program requires utilization of highly toxic and
mutagenic chemical Bisazir
no sterilization facilities nearby, would have to ship adult males to Michigan
sterilized males would have to significantly outnumber non-sterile males to have any impact on reproduction potential
Attractants and Pheromones use bile salts produced by larval lamprey
to attract adults to unsuitable spawning habitat or traps
use lamprey sex pheromones to make sterilized males able to outcompete non-sterile males
both techniques currently being researched and not yet viable alternatives
Conclusions Lampricides cause mortality in many non-
target species The long term ecological effects of these
poisons is unknown Research shows that lamprey were once
native, indicating that there may have been some sort of historical balance in their populations
Recommendations promotion and expansion of riparian and
wetland restoration programs further research into long term effects of
lampricide exposure on individual species, ecosystems, and food webs
modify goals and objectives to embrace experimentation and annually decrease lampricide usage
Recommendations (cont.) improve and expand barrier and trapping
methods to increase effectiveness develop lampricides that more specifically
target the physiology and biology of lamprey
expand public education programs to inform citizens and fishery users about lamprey control programs