A field investigation to determine how sea lamprey move from Lake Huron back to the coast where they locate rivers and spawn.

OWHBA

April 2012 - July 2012

The open water phase of migration is the least observed part of any large fish migration. Salmonids include some of the most heavily studied migratory fishes and although much is known about what information migrants could use to find the coast, virtually nothing is known about what cues fishes actively use to reach the coast after feeding offshore. Based on the study of salmonids, possible coastal and open water cues for sea lamprey include current, olfactory cues, temperature gradients, magnetic fields, celestial cues, bottom slope or structure, and social information from conspecifics or hosts. Most migrations are flexible and rely on redundant search cues, as is the case for salmonids, if one sense or piece of information is nullified salmonids can change their movement pattern to accomplish the migration. Better understanding the open water phase of migration could reveal additional unforeseen control measures or explain why fish more commonly end up in certain rivers.

• Identify if sea lampreys are able to move in the direction of the nearest coast when released in open water. 'Objective 2: Evaluate if the location sea lamprey were trapped (prior migration experience) affects the direction they move. '
• Evaluate if the location sea lamprey were trapped (prior migration experience) affects the direction they move.
• Identify the movement patterns that comprise the open water migration

• This study will inform scientists about how the sea lamprey migrates to coasts and selects rivers in the Great Lakes. Although much is known about how the sea lamprey behaves in rivers, little is known about how they behave in the lake environment and this information will allow scientists to improve upon the current methods of sea lamprey control.

• C. Michael Wagner (Michigan State University) - mwagner@msu.edu
• Trevor Meckley (Michigan State University)

• Michigan State University
• Great Lakes Fishery Commission
• United States Geological Survey

• Michigan State University
• Great Lakes Fishery Commission
• United States Geological Survey

• Meckley, T.D., Gurarie, E., Miller, J.R., Wagner, C.M. (2017) How do fishes find the shore? Evidence for orientation to bathymetry from the non-homing sea lamprey. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 10.1139/cjfas-2016-0412

http://www.wagnerlabmsu.com/