The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service assisted
two Canadian agencies this July with sea-lamprey tracking in the Scientists from the Service and Scientists placed hydrophones, or underwater
microphones, in the channel downstream from the powerhouses to track lamprey
movements once they entered the channel.
They also implanted radio tags into several sea lampreys to determine
the depth at which they were moving. To monitor fine-scale movements at the
assessment traps, project scientists also implanted several hundred lampreys
with passive integrated transponder tags, and visual identification tags. PIT technology enables scientists to inject
machine-readable tags into fish. By placing PIT-tag antennas around a trap at
the downstream powerhouse, the team was able to monitor when lampreys entered
the trap, how they behaved once inside and if they escaped. To support the
information from the PIT-tag technology, scientists also mounted an underwater
camera on the trap. The Sea Lamprey Management Program plans to use the results
to enhance the effectiveness of alternative control methods, such as trapping
and barriers. Sea lamprey is a jawless, parasitic fish
species that spread throughout the For
more information, contact Jessica Barber, USFWS, at (906) 226-1241.
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