Capture of Ovulating Female Sea Lampreys in Traps Baited with Spermiating Male Sea Lampreys

Abstract

This study was conducted as an initial step in the development of a trapping technique for sexually mature female sea lampreys Petromyzon marinus. Recent research has demonstrated that spermiating male sea lampreys release a sex pheromone that attracts ovulating females. This discovery prompted us to hypothesize that traps baited with spermiating males would capture more ovulating females than empty traps or traps baited with nonspermiating males. We found that traps baited with spermiating males captured nearly 74% of the ovulating females released, whereas empty traps and traps baited with nonspermiating males did not capture any ovulating females. We conclude that pheromone-baited traps may complement current sea lamprey management through direct removal of ripe females from spawning grounds.