Sea Lampreys: The Scourge of the Great Lakes

Speaker: Tom Lauer

Sea Lampreys are an invasive parasitic species in the Great Lakes. After their introduction in the early 20th century, they dramatically altered the ecosystem, killing off most of the large bodied fish. In the 1950s, the Great Lakes Fishery Commission was created to address the problem and has been successful in many respects. The current cost of control is $30 million/year, while the benefit to the fishery is $7 billion/year. In this presentation, I will discuss the biology of the sea lamprey, the history along with the biological impact, control mechanisms, and its future in the Great Lakes. This is another example of the negative impact that an invasive species has in our environments.

About the Speaker: Thomas Lauer, BS and MS Ball State University, PhD Purdue University. Director and Distinguished Professor Emeritus, Aquatic Biology and Fisheries Center, Ball State University. Advisor for the Great Lakes Fishery Commission. Scientech member.