Session C7: Can Migrating Lampreys be Effectively Guided into Fish Passage Devices Using Semiochemicals? Evidence from Studies in the Laurentian Great Lakes
Location
Groningen, The Netherlands
Event Website
http://fishpassage.umass.edu/
Start Date
24-6-2015 11:35 AM
End Date
24-6-2015 11:50 AM
Description
Abstract:
Fish passage devices often fail for either of two reasons: (1) individuals fail to encounter and recognize the passage device, or (2) fail to successfully negotiate the device once encountered. In the Laurentian Great Lakes the sea lamprey Petromyzon marinus is an invasive pest, threatening the persistence of important commercial and recreational fisheries. For ten years we have been examining the sea lamprey migration and the roles that semiochemicals play in guiding movements, the selection of habitats, and mating behavior. Here, we present evidence from numerous field experiments designed to reveal the extent to which attractive and repulsive conspecific odors may be used to guide migrating lampreys into watersheds, river channels, and devices associated with dams. The evidence strongly suggests that lampreys may be effectively guided to fish passage entrances (and away from dangerous areas, such as water intake structures) through the manipulation of chemical information. We discuss the implications of these findings for achieving improved lamprey conservation.
Session C7: Can Migrating Lampreys be Effectively Guided into Fish Passage Devices Using Semiochemicals? Evidence from Studies in the Laurentian Great Lakes
Groningen, The Netherlands
Abstract:
Fish passage devices often fail for either of two reasons: (1) individuals fail to encounter and recognize the passage device, or (2) fail to successfully negotiate the device once encountered. In the Laurentian Great Lakes the sea lamprey Petromyzon marinus is an invasive pest, threatening the persistence of important commercial and recreational fisheries. For ten years we have been examining the sea lamprey migration and the roles that semiochemicals play in guiding movements, the selection of habitats, and mating behavior. Here, we present evidence from numerous field experiments designed to reveal the extent to which attractive and repulsive conspecific odors may be used to guide migrating lampreys into watersheds, river channels, and devices associated with dams. The evidence strongly suggests that lampreys may be effectively guided to fish passage entrances (and away from dangerous areas, such as water intake structures) through the manipulation of chemical information. We discuss the implications of these findings for achieving improved lamprey conservation.
https://scholarworks.umass.edu/fishpassage_conference/2015/June24/70
Comments
Presenting Author Bio: Michael Wagner is an associate professor at Michigan State University where he studies the behavior of native and invasive fishes. His recent work has focused on the movement ecology of the sea lamprey, especially where chemical information plays in a role in guiding search behavior and the selection of habitats and mates during the lamprey's annual reproductive migration. The lab is heavily involved in the creation and testing of novel invasive species control strategies guided by insights from largescale field experiments in behavioral biology.