Information and Links about Sea Lamprey (Petromyzon marinus)
in their Native Habitat
USFWS fact sheet about Sea lamprey in the Connecticut River watershed
Fishway counts of Sea lamprey on the Connecticut River 1967-2001
Biological Information
SEA LAMPREY Petromyzon marinus Linnaeus, 1758
DISTRIBUTION AND ABUNDANCE: Native. Prior to the 1800s, sea lamprey entered
virtually every Massachusetts stream and river which allowed them access
to breeding sites. By the mid-1800s newly constructed dams blocked their
migration routes and industrial pollution altered their habitat. Recently,
new fishways constructed for anadromous fish runs have allowed them to return
to many areas. They are now common in the Connecticut River (up to 53,000
per year at the Holyoke fishway ) and migrate well into New Hampshire. The
first recent records from the Millers drainage date from the late 1980s,
shortly after the opening of the Turners Falls Fishway. Sea lamprey are
also locally common in portions of the Merrimack and Parker rivers. They
are much less frequently encountered in the South Shore, Cape Cod, and Buzzards
Bay drainage systems.
From: An Annotated Working List of the Inland Fishes of Massachusetts.
© 1996. K.E. Hartel (hartel@mcz.harvard.edu), D.B. Halliwell (arcsys@mint.net)
and A.E. Launer (aelauner@leland.stanford.edu).
http://collections.oeb.harvard.edu/Fish/ma_fish/ma_lamp.htm
Biology and habits of the Sea lamprey
Brief description of Sea lamprey in the Connecticut River
List of recipes for Sea lamprey (yes, people eat them!)
Sea Lamprey in the Connecticut River estuary
From State of Connecticut DEP overview of the Connecticut River Estuary.
F. Fisheries:
Like Long Island Sound, a nationally recognized estuary, the lower Connecticut
River is also an estuary, or mixing zone of fresh and saline waters. As
such, it is characterized by estuarine dependent fish, shellfish, bird,
and invertebrate species. Estuaries are important nutrient traps, which
makes them especially productive and important fish nursery habitats. The
greatest diversity of fish species in the region occurs in this area due
to the presence of freshwater, estuarine, and marine fish that utilize the
tidal river and shoals at the river mouth in Long Island Sound at various
times of the year.
The marine fish community is comprised of over 25 species that commonly
use the estuary and an additional 25 species that occasionally use the area.
Of these, winter flounder, summer flounder, striped bass, and bluefish are
commercially and recreationally important. Most notably, the estuary provides
significant spawning habitat for the winter flounder, a species whose coast-wide
stocks are decreasing. The extreme abundance of marine fish and invertebrates
adds immensely to the productivity of the overall system by providing a
forage base of substantial proportions for piscivorous (fish eating) fish
and birds, including several rare and endangered species of birds. The highly
abundant bay anchovy (Anchoa mitchilli), Atlantic silverside (Menidia menidia),
killifish (Fundulus spp.), and American sand lance (Ammodytes americanus),
as well as grass shrimp (Palaemonetes pugio) and bay shrimp (Crangon septemspinosa)
form the foundation of this highly productive system.
Similarly, freshwater fishes in the project area are both abundant and diverse.
With over 28 species known to occur in the project area, the lower Connecticut
River supports the most diverse freshwater fishery in New England. Northern
pike, largemouth and smallmouth bass, yellow perch, and channel and white
catfish comprise the bulk of the recreational fishery and, to a lesser extent,
the commercial fishery. In addition, the Connecticut Department of Environmental
Protection maintains and manages a northern pike spawning marsh within the
project area, using the progeny produced at the marsh to augment northern
pike stocks throughout the state.
The diadromous community includes 13 anadromous forms, as well as one catadromous
(those that spawn in salt water and move to freshwater for development).
This diadromous community, comprised of fishes that spawn in freshwater
and use marine areas to mature, represents a majority of the diadromous
stocks. In particular, the estuary supports one of the largest and most
stable populations of American shad in the U.S., an anadromous form which,
in turn, supports one of the oldest, most productive, and most renowned
commercial and recreational fisheries in the region. Similarly, the population
of the blueback herring, another anadromous form, is estimated to be the
largest in the world. Other anadromous clupeids include the alewife, hickory
shad, and gizzard shad (Dorosoma cepedianum); the last is in the process
of naturally colonizing the river through range extension. These herring
are more common in the mid-Atlantic riverine systems to the south; interestingly,
the estuary also constitutes the southern extent of the range of Atlantic
salmon and rainbow smelt (Osmerus mordax). The river's unique geographic
location, productivity, and habitat variety allow it to support this correspondingly
unique diversity of both southern and northern fishes.
Of particular note in the project area is the presence of shortnose sturgeon,
a federally-listed endangered species. This species is known to use the
project area waters for overwintering and feeding and, perhaps, to support
juvenile development, although this has yet to be confirmed. White perch
and sea lamprey are two other prominent anadromous fishes of the project
area. While both are found in great abundance, white perch is prominent
in the commercial and recreational fisheries. Although striped bass do not
currently spawn in the Connecticut River, there is a very large run of the
fish ascending the river for foraging on fishes, most notably blueback herring.
This run of popular game fish has evolved into a nationally renowned sport
fishery and multi-million dollar industry. The catadromous American eel
spends the majority of its life in the river. It is abundant in all life
stages from elver to adult, and is a nocturnal scavenger; it, too, is fished
commercially.
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