ALL THE FISH
I Like Being “Stuck” at Home
Probably Because I am a Pacific Lamprey
Hello humans! Wait, please don’t let my looks put you off — I am a nice guy once you get to know me. I know, I might not seem as cuddly as some of the other critters asking for your attention but just give me a chance. I think we can help each other! I am literally “stuck” at home right now, and like you, I need certain elements in my environment to help me thrive. If you learn about and help protect my home, I might be able to teach you a thing or two about going with the flow during challenging times — I outlasted the dinosaurs after all!
Allow me to tell you a bit about myself and my often-misunderstood species (Entosphenus tridentatus):
- We are important! Not to brag but we Pacific Lamprey are native to this region and play a vital ecological and cultural role.
- We are legendary! Dinosaurs get a lot of credit in the ancient world but we are even older. Lampreys first appeared in the fossil record over 400 million years ago. Dinosaurs were around between 250–65 million years ago while salmon are 6 million years old. You humans are a mere 100,000 years old. Did I mention that lampreys have survived at least four and possibly five mass extinction events. How is that for iconic?
- We are survivors! You don’t get this old without skills. We are a very adaptable species. Though our physical form has remained largely unchanged since the oldest fossil record, Pacific Lamprey have co-evolved with our host species. We are parasitic and rely on a wide range of host species. But don’t worry, we don’t kill our hosts while we feed. Like I said, I am a nice guy once you get to know me :)
- You need us around! Our biological and cultural connection to humans goes way back. We connect communities of humans and other species of fish. Did you know that we help protect salmon from other predators? It’s true! We lampreys are a predation buffer for salmon when our populations are plentiful thanks to our tasty high fat content — other animals would rather eat us than salmon.
- We are a “first food”! Thanks to our rich, fatty meat, we play an important spiritual, medicinal, and cultural role for many tribes in the Columbia River Basin, coastal Oregon, Washington and California.
- The ecosystem needs us around too! Pacific Lamprey provide critical ecosystem services each stage of their life cycle. At every stage, we are a food source for several species and we act as filters for water and sediment during our larval stage to keep our rivers clean. Our bodies also return nutrients to aquatic ecosystems once we die, providing a crucial connection between the ocean and the river.
- I am unique! As far as looks go, I am definitely one of a kind. I belong to a primitive group of fishes that are eel-like in form but that lack the jaws and paired fins of bony fishes. I have a round, sucker-like mouth, no scales, and seven holes on each side of my body that open to my gills. Make no bones about it (I can’t because I don’t have any!), I am a probably one of the most flexible friends you’ll ever have; my backbone is made of cartilage, like the stuff that makes up your ear. Let’s not forget my alluring “eyes.” Adult Pacific Lampreys have two blue eyes that they use to see. We use a third ‘eye’, a light spot on the top of our head, to sense light and dark and to practice some deep meditation.
- We are “egg-cellent” at reproducing and swimming! Unlike humans and other species, which only produce a few offspring in their lifetimes but spend a lot of time raising them, Pacific Lamprey females produce between 100,000–300,000 eggs! We are also some of the most energy-efficient swimmers. Our swimming movements generate low-pressure zones around their body, which pull rather than push our bodies through the water. We like to swim close to the bottom of the stream, river, or ocean to avoid detection and attach to rocks to save energy. Since we are anadromous like salmon and move from freshwater to the ocean and back, we often hitch a ride with our host species in the ocean so that we can travel great distances. Beats taking an Uber, right?
- We are not the same species as that other lamprey! Pacific Lamprey are different from sea lamprey. That other guy is a species from the Atlantic Ocean. Sea lamprey are native to the Atlantic Ocean and are a healthy part of the ecosystem. But some of you might know that they have been stirring up trouble in other places. They began causing problems in the Great Lakes after gaining access to through navigation canals that bypass Niagara Falls in the 1830s. In the Great Lakes they are an invasive species. Consequently, Great Lakes fisheries evolved without the presence of sea lampreys and are highly vulnerable to their predation and competition. For the most part, hosts do not survive predation from sea lampreys. Yikes.
- We are neighbors! Yep, you can find us in streams and rivers in your backyard! Our native range includes parts of Oregon, Washington, Idaho, California and Alaska. We could be in small streams and rivers in your backyard, and you most likely wouldn’t even know it! At the beginning of our life cycle, we are very small and burrow into the bottom of the stream, so it’s pretty tough to spot us. If we return as adults, you don’t have to worry about our teeth because adults don’t eat when we are in freshwater — how is that for a cheap date?
We need nice homes! Healthy habitat is vital to the survival of lampreys at each point in our life cycle. We need cool and clean water in rivers and streams and favorable oceanic conditions. We need stream habitat with gravel for spawning, fine sediments for rearing, cool water temperatures, unpolluted water sources, riffle and pool habitats. Like our friends the salmon, we need favorable ocean conditions that include plentiful hosts, clean water, and low levels of predators. Of course, we also need to be able to get to and from the ocean so barrier free passage is essential.
- We are facing threats! Sadly, over the last 100 years, our populations have seen a dramatic decline. Along our already arduous journey, we face a number of threats:
- Unsafe passage like culverts, dams, and water diversions impede our ability to get to the ocean
- Technology used for salmon passage like ladders aren’t as passable for us
- Habitat degradation caused by urbanization damages our spawning grounds
- Poor water quality caused by pollutants, contaminants and warming climates
- Changing ocean conditions that decrease the populations of our host species while increasing the populations of our predators.
But don’t let these threats get you down! Pacific Lamprey are designated as a species of concern by the tribes, US Fish and Wildlife Service and state fish and wildlife/ game agencies and we can all work together to conserve my species. Partners are working together at state, federal and tribal levels to modify and remove passage barriers, share research, and plan a better future for us lamprey.
Here are some ways you can make sure I continue to have a home worth being “stuck” in for another million years!
- Keep water clean: Be aware of what you flush down the drain: don’t dump pollutants in streams
- Volunteer: Work on a stream restoration project
- Share what you’ve learned: Tell others that you have found a new pal in your ancient neighbor the Pacific Lamprey and that he is, despite the myths, a pretty nice guy. Thank you friends!
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Stuck on saving future generations of Pacific Lamprey? Check out these additional resources:
