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1 1 (September 25, 2023)

handle is hein.crs/govemyj0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Congressional Research Service ~Informing the legislalave debate since1914 September 25, 2023 Federal Management of Sea Lampreys in the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain The sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus), sometimes known as the vampire fish (Figure 1), is a parasitic fish species native to the northern Atlantic Ocean and the waters of eastern United States and western Europe. By the early 1900s, sea lampreys had spread throughout the Great Lakes, where they harm economically important fish species such as Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar), lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush), and lake sturgeon (Acipenserfulvescens). According to some estimates, fish wounded by sea lampreys have a mortality rate of 40%-60% and a single lamprey can kill approximately 40 pounds of fish per year. Congress is interested in efforts to control sea lamprey populations and the impacts of these efforts on the health of fisheries, recreation industries, and ecosystems of the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain. This product provides an overview of the biology and spread of sea lamprey, federal sea lamprey control programs, and selected considerations for Congress. nuisance species that threatens native fish populations in the Great Lakes. Figure 2. Sea Lamprey Range in the United States Source: U.S. Geological Survey. Sea Lamprey Biology The biology of sea lampreys is relevant to control efforts, many of which are designed to target specific stages of the species' complex life history. Sea lamprey populations from the northern Atlantic are anadromous, meaning individuals are born in freshwater, spend a part of their lives in saltwater, and then return to freshwater streams to spawn (Figure 3). Source: U.S. Geological Survey. Notes: Injuries and loss of fluids from sea lamprey feeding can cause the death of the host fish. Geographic Range of the Sea Lamprey In the United States, sea lampreys occupy offshore, coastal, and inland waters from the Gulf of St. Lawrence to northern Florida and the Great Lakes region (Figure 2). Sea lampreys were first observed in the Great Lakes in the 1830s. According to scientists, sea lampreys entered Lake Ontario from the Atlantic Ocean through human-made shipping channels and were found in all of the Great Lakes by 1938. Genetic evidence suggests sea lampreys may be native to Lakes Ontario and Champlain, both of which are accessible from the Atlantic Ocean by water. Some scientists challenge this view, however, stating that there are few records of sea lampreys or fish with lamprey wounds in these lakes prior to the mid-1800s. Regardless of origin, many stakeholders consider sea lampreys to be a ongress.go 0

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