Getting A Hold On Lamprey

July 23, 2009

Release from:John Driscoll
The Times-Standard (California)

The Pacific lamprey is no beauty, but the eel-like fish will get a closer examination by the federal government with the aim to restore a lagging population.

Little is known about the Pacific lamprey's status, but the lamprey is important to West Coast American Indians as a source of food and for cultural purposes. Tribal fishermen say the numbers of fish have declined sharply over the years. So the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has embarked on the Pacific Lamprey Conservation Initiative to gather up all relevant sources of information on lamprey and forge a plan to fill in gaps in that knowledge.

”One of the great things about working on lampreys is in many ways it's an open book,” said Damon Goodman, a Fish and Wildlife Service biologist.

Yurok tribal members have fished for lamprey for generations. They are typically caught in the Klamath River in long conical traps or tossed from the surf onto shore with special wire hooks.

Pacific lamprey range roughly around the Pacific Ocean from Japan to Alaska to Baja California. Adults grow to 27 inches and will attach themselves to salmon and other fish in the ocean, sucking blood and tissue from the fish.

Mature lamprey migrate up rivers and dig into the stream bed to lay eggs before they die. After the eggs hatch, the young lamprey continue to live in the gravel for five to seven years, then migrate to the ocean.

The Pacific lamprey's life cycle may make them particularly vulnerable to changing conditions in the rivers where they live. Goodman said that the prolonged freshwater stage means that in any given year, a big disturbance could wipe out most or all of the lampreys in the gravel -- which accounts for five to seven generations.

Yurok Tribe fisheries biologist Dave Hillemeier said that lamprey historically have been vital for tribal members, especially since they are caught in later winter and early spring when other migratory fish like salmon aren't available. The nutritious fish are commonly roasted over a fire, smoked and baked, or dried.

Despite the importance to tribes, Hillemeier said, it has been difficult to get funding to research and monitor Pacific lamprey.

”It's hard to get people interested in them,” he said.

While there's lots of anecdotal information from longtime fishermen, quantitative data has been lacking. Any effort to gain a better idea of the status of the lamprey is welcome, Hillemeier said.

The conservation initiative is meant to bring anyone with information on lamprey to the table, then use that information to develop a plan to restore lamprey populations and improve their habitat. Goodman said that plan should be drawn up within about a year.