The Sea Lamprey By: Veena Kanumalla

What is it? Petromyzon marinus Scientific Classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Cephalaspidomorphi Order: Petromyzontiformes Genus Petromyzon King

Life Cycle of the Sea Lamprey Average of 5-8 years Eggs hatch and larvae feed at the bottom of streams and lakes on debri and small plants (3-6 years) Turn into parasitic adult for months

Where? Originally from the Atlantic Ocean Great Lakes (Michigan, Superior, Erie, Ontario, Huron) Also on the East coast of Canada

Problems Suck on blood and bodily fluids of fish Rapid decline in fish Changes in aquatic environment o No lake trout = more rainbow smelt/alewife = more sculpin/deep water cisco = more zooplankton = more phytoplankton = color and clarity changes in the lake

Public Concern Less sport and fishing opportunities Economic decline Job losses Dead fish and organisms wash up on the beaches o Tourism decline

Origins and Travel of the Sea Lamprey Coastal areas of Atlantic canal built to bypass N. Falls and allows access Lake Ontario for the first time Lake Michigan invasion of all great lakes Population explosion creation of the Great Lakes Fishery Commission

Control Methods Lampricide - chemical TFM used to kill larvae with minimal damage to the rest of the aquatic life; expensive Barriers - used to block upstream flow of lamprey but allows other fish to pass Traps - catches lampreys during upstream travel Sterile-Male-Release - male lampreys are caught, sterilized, sent back to compete with normal males for females and spawning lampreys die after this interactions

Results 90% decrease in lamprey population in most areas Controlled populations Impossible to wipe out entire species

Bibliography "EEK! - Alien Profile: Sea Lamprey." Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Environmental Education for Kids. Web. 20 Sept From this source, I was able to retrieve information about the origin of the sea lamprey, when it began migrating, different types of sea lamprey, how to identify a sea lamprey, and extermination methods. This source is highly reliable because it is from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and is published on a government-run website. This is also a part of a derivative website of the WDNR called Environmental Education for kids, which is a website devoted to educating the youth about environmental studies. McCosker, John E. "Lamprey." World Book Online Encyclopedia. Web. 20 Sept From this source, I was able to retrieve information about the structure of the sea lamprey, its body, its habits, and its destructive nature. This is a highly reputable source because it is from an online accredited encyclopedia and was written by a John E. McCosker, who is a Ph. D. and Senior Scientist and Chair of Aquatic Biology at the California Academy of Sciences. "Sea Lamprey: The Battle Continues." Minnesota Sea Grant. Web. 20 Sept From this source, I was able to learn about what sea lampreys are, where they are found, what type of damage they do, what their life cycle is like and what people are doing to prevent sea lamprey infestation. This source is reliable because it is an educational website provided by the University of Minnesota Sea Grant and was a publication for the Great Lakes Fishery Commission. "Sea Lamprey/Fish of the Great Lakes by Wisconsin Sea Grant." UW Sea Grant. University of Wisconsin, Web. 20 Sept From this source, I was able to learn the scientific name for sea lamprey, physical features of the sea lamprey, how they behave in their natural habitat, and the history of scientific research of the sea lamprey. This is a reliable source because it is a website derived from the University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute and was written by academic scholars of this topic. This publication is also sponsored by the organization the Fish of the Great Lakes. "USGS Great Lakes Science Center." Welcome to the USGS Great Lakes Science Center. Web. 20 Sept From this source, I was able to learn about the background of the Sea lamprey, its life cycle, its impact on the environment, Sea lamprey control and modern methods of sea lamprey control. This source is reliable because it is provided by the United States Geological Survey, a nationally accredited scientific resource organization allied with the government. This article is part of the Great Lakes Science Center Division of the USGS.