Pacific lamprey biology: critical uncertainties & context

Benjamin J. ClemensOregon Department of Fish & Wildlife

Willamette Falls 1913

Source: Clackamas County Historical Society

Die-off

Temp. > 20 oC

K. Kostow, 2002 ODFW white paper; D. Ward 2001 ODFW report

Tribal Harvest at Willamette Falls

Willamette

Last stronghold?

Example for other basins?

674 mm

525 mm

= “Immature” Males

1 Collection Date

Clemens 2011 Ph.D. dissertation

STREAM MATURING TYPE

OCEAN MATURING TYPE

Clemens 2011 Ph.D. dissertation

Clemens, Wyss, McCoun, Schwabe, Courter, Duery, Vaughn & Schreck 2012 Report to CRITFC

Lamprey Critical Uncertainties• Moser et al. 2007 Rev. Fish Biol. Fish.• Mesa et al. 2009• Luzier et al. 2009• Clemens et al. 2010 Fisheries• Lamprey Tech. Workgroup 2005-2011• U.S. F& WS 2011• CRITFC 2011

*We are certain that we are uncertain!

Photo credit: Jeremy Monroe , Freshwater Illustrated

Lamprey Critical Uncertainties• Biology (basic; stress, disease; pop’n dynamics)

• Population structure (genetics)

• Habitat (use vs. avail; toxics; thresholds; climate change)

• Ecology (abundance, dist., prey, predators; keystone sp?)

• Monitoring (survey, collection, marking)

• Conservation (limiting factors; aquaculture)

• Management (passage, transloc., dredging, dewatering)

Tangible products needed….

Lamprey Critical Uncertainties• Climate change• Human pop’n & economic growth• Ocean conditions• Pop’n structure• Monitoring• Habitat rehab• Predictive modeling• Adaptive management

We are not there…yet.

Context• Science– Explore, Describe, Test, Monitor, Model,

Predict– Synthesize, Integrate, Refine• Status and trend monitoring (patterns)• What does it mean?• Identify biological mechanisms• Connect mechanisms with patterns

Ultimate mechanisms?

Context: Scale