• News
  • Lake Facts
  • About

Lake Scientist

Scientists Look to Control Sea Lamprey Spread With Pheromones

0
  • by Daniel Kelly
  • — May 5, 2014

An outlet of Michigan’s Paradise Lake will serve as a scientific proving ground for researchers looking to control sea lamprey with pheromones. The work is part of an ongoing effort supported by the Great Lakes Fishery Commission.

Great-Lakes-no-clouds

Great Lakes as seen from space. (Credit: NASA)

Sea lampreys are an invasive species inhabiting the Great Lakes to the tune of some 400,000. They are believed to have made it into the Great Lakes through ballast water and scientists are working to control their spread.

“In an earlier experiment, we showed we could push an entire population to the left or right,” said Mike Wagner, assistant professor at Michigan State University’s School of Fisheries and Wildlife and a lead researcher on lamprey pheromone projects. “We have to craft the right way to present it, and determine the correct geographical and seasonal circumstances needed to get the right outcome.”

sea lamprey pheromones

Sea lamprey’s mouth. (Credit: Wikimedia Commons User Drow_male)

Near Paradise Lake, Wagner and other researchers will attempt to use attractive pheromones on one side of the outlet and repulsive ones on the other to push lampreys into traps.

Trapping lampreys is only successful 40 percent of the time, officials say. If pheromones can be used to increase success, the total number of sea lampreys could be reduced. The drop would require less lamprey-control funding and free up cash for other restorative projects in the Great Lakes.

Share

You may also like...

  • Quagga and zebra mussels unsettle Great Lakes’ ecosystems
  • Laser imaging could be fast, affordable alternative for beach E. coli monitoring
  • Lake Tanganyika Landmark fish study planned for Lake Tanganyika
  • Sunset over Lake Superior where the winter stratification study was performed. Research Brief: Drivers of Winter Stratification in Lake Superior

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Time limit is exhausted. Please reload CAPTCHA.

BUY AT FONDRIEST.COM
New NexSens XB200 Data Buoy
  • Recent Posts

    • A small mountain pond and fells surrounding Bárrás. August 2006. The region is dominated by arctic lakes and ponds much like this.Research Brief: Measuring Oxygen and Temperature Changes in Arctic Lakes Impacted by Climate ChangeMay 12, 2025
    • Spring 2025 Environmental Monitor Available NowMay 7, 2025
    • Research Brief: CyanoHABs Forecasting in Satellite Monitored LakesMay 5, 2025
    • Supplying Seattle’s Drinking Water: Using Data Buoys to Monitor the Cedar River Municipal WatershedApril 30, 2025
    • A high-mountain lake in Manti-La Sal National Forest.Research Brief: Threats to High-Mountain Lakes in the AlpsApril 28, 2025
  • Popular Tags

    Great Lakes research summary research pollution research brief Lake Erie Algae invasive species Product Spotlight climate change lake research lake science runoff nutrient-loading dissolved oxygen Lake Michigan international temperature Ohio eutrophication EPA toxic waters ice phosphorus USGS

©2025 Fondriest Environmental Inc. | Questions? Call 888.426.2151 or email customercare@fondriest.com