Name _______________________ Date ______________ Class ____________
Lesson 2: Pacific Lamprey Anatomy
1. The Head: The head is small. It can be hard to tell where the head stops and
the rest of the trunk of the fish begins. The mouth has no _______________.
The nostril is a clearly visible pore on the top midline part of the head. Note
that there is only _______________ nostril in lamprey.
2. The two eyes are on the sides of the head a little behind the level of the
nostril. They are deeply sunk into the head. For young _______________
lamprey the eyes do not function. You will not see them because they are
deep in the tissue of the head. The _______________ or pineal eye is on the
top middle of the head but is not easy to see.
3. The Trunk: Most of the length of the body is the trunk. At the front of the
lamprey there are two short rows of small pores. These are openings for the
important _______________ system of fishes. Lamprey have
_______________ gill slits on each side of the trunk. The lamprey gills are
used for respiration.
4. Lamprey have _______________ instead of bones. Since adults feed on
bodily fluids of fish and marine mammals, Pacific lampreys do not need a
_______________ for digestion. Lamprey bodies are round, long, and
flexible.
5. Fin and Tail: Unlike other fish, lampreys do not have paired fins. Lampreys
have one long _______________ fin and a caudal fin. The _______________
is the tail fin. The long dorsal fin extends along the top midline for the entire
length of the trunk.
Name _______________________ Date ______________ Class ____________
Lesson 3: Pacific Lamprey Life Cycle
1. Like salmon, the Pacific lamprey is ____________________, meaning that
they spend all or part of their adult life in salt water and return to fresh water
streams or rivers to spawn. They are a ________________ species that
ranges from southern California to Alaska.
2. Two to three weeks after the eggs are laid, the eggs hatch into small
_______________ larvae called ammocoetes. The embryos hatch in 59°
Fahrenheit (F) and the ammocoetes drift downstream to areas of low velocity
and fine substrates where they burrow, grow and live as filter feeders for 2 to
7 years. Ammocoetes feed primarily on _______________, diatoms, and
detritus.
3. After 2 to 7 years, while still buried in sediment, the ammocoetes undergo a
transformation, or ____________________, from its larval (ammocoete) form
into the adult form. The early adult form is a "teenager" and called a
macrophthalmia. The lamprey have changes to their body form at this stage
including developing eyes, and a sucking disk with _______________. Like a
smolt they turn silver in color.
4. Soon before transformation the ammocoetes emerge from the sediment and
begin their _______________ to the ocean. This transformation into
adulthood typically begins in July to October. They drift and swim downstream
as they emigrate to the _______________ between late fall and spring.
5. Pacific lampreys live in the ocean as adults for 2 to 3 years, where they are
external ____________________ on larger fish. A hungry Pacific lamprey will
grip onto the side of a fish. Its tongue, which has sharp edges like a file, will
then make a hole in the animal, allowing the lamprey to feed on
_______________ and other bodily fluids.
6. This rarely _______________ the animal. Once full from their feeding, the
lamprey falls _______________ until it is hungry once again.
7. Lamprey will continue to grow and will typically grow to be about
_______________ inches long and weigh ____________________ at full
adulthood.
8. After 2-3 years, lamprey begin the journey back to the streams where they
were _______________.
9. Pacific lampreys _______________ in similar habitats to salmon. They spawn
in gravel bottomed streams. Adult Pacific lampreys enter freshwater between
July and September and spawn the following spring. Like salmon, Pacific
lampreys do not _______________ during their upstream migration in
freshwater.
10. Spawning occurs between March and July depending upon the location within
their range. The degree of homing is unknown, but adult lampreys cue in on
____________________ released by ammocoetes. This aids adult migration
into suitable areas for spawning. Adult lamprey do not home to where they
were born like salmon do, but rather cue in on these pheromones released by
ammocoetes. Mating pairs of lampreys dig shallow _______________ in
small gravel by sucking onto rocks and moving their bodies rapidly. They
move larger rocks with their mouths. This helps create the nests for the eggs.
11. A female lamprey can lay 10,000 to _______________ eggs.
12. After the female lamprey eggs are deposited and fertilized, the lamprey adults
typically _______________ within hours to a few days.
Name _______________________ Date ______________ Class ____________
Lesson 4: Ecology of Lamprey
1. Pacific Lamprey play several important beneficial roles in our environment.
These include:
a)
Lamprey ammocoetes are a known food source for other fish and
_______________.
b)
Adult Pacific lampreys may act as a _______________ for
migrating adult salmon from predation from marine mammals.
c)
Pacific lampreys, like salmon, return important marine
_______________ to the freshwater systems in which they spawn
and die.
d)
Pacific lampreys remain important to the Native Americans both
culturally and as a _______________ source.
e)
Today, Pacific lampreys are used for research, education, and
____________________.
2.
Artificial barriers can impede _______________ migrations by adult
lampreys and _______________ movement of juvenile lamprey. During
downstream migrations juvenile lampreys may be caught in water
diversions such as _______________ or turbines. Downstream passage
at dams is difficult since Pacific lamprey travel _______________ in the
water column (no air bladder) compared to salmonids. Therefore, they
may not find traditional spill gates and salmonid collection and bypass
systems, which are typically good for fish moving closer to the surface.
Additionally, if there are screens on dams and diversions used to block
salmonids from entering areas, lamprey may become stuck on the screen
since they do not have the same swimming abilities as salmon.
3. Adult Pacific Lamprey have difficulties passing dams and
_______________ that salmon migrate pass with ease. One difference is
that salmonids leap up dam ladders and into culverts. Pacific lamprey
move upstream by sucking onto the surface with their mouth then bursting
up and sucking again with their mouth, similar to how a rock climber
moves up a rock face. However, when the lamprey bursts up but is met
with a ladder step or other sharp angle they can have difficulty finding the
next place to suck on with their _______________, especially if there is
_______________ moving water. They may try repeatedly to move up
these obstacles. The excessive swimming _______________ needed by
lamprey to pass the dams may be one reason the largest declines have
been further upstream in the river systems. In the Columbia River, the
number of Pacific lamprey counted passing Wells Dam, the ninth main
stem dam, has been less than 50 in all years since 2006. Also fish ladders
use faster flow to attract Salmon to move upstream in the
_______________. However, Pacific Lamprey often seek
_______________ waters to move upstream and can have difficulties
locating fish ladders.
4. Since lamprey larvae _______________ water and mud during the first 2
to 6 years of their life, they are very susceptible to _______________ from
urban or agricultural runoff. Urban development, forestry, and agricultural
practices have resulted in a loss of wetlands, side channels, and beaver
ponds, which the Pacific lamprey ammocoetes prefer. Increases in stream
_____________________ also may reduce the lamprey’s food supply.
5. Because ammocoetes do not move a lot in the stream and often they are
found together in large numbers, they are more _______________ to
effects from ____________________ poisoning that may affect many age
classes from a single act of poisoning.
6. Just like salmon, lamprey need _______________ and _______________
water. When water temperatures rise above certain temperatures,
biologists have found that these temperatures contributed to the
_______________ of lamprey eggs and juveniles. Water temperatures of
72°F may cause large numbers of eggs and juvenile lamprey to die or
become _______________. This may occur more in streams that have
been degraded during the early to mid-summer period of lamprey
spawning and ammocoete development. Also, ammocoetes tend to
concentrate in the lower portions of streams and rivers where gradients
are low and _______________, if present, accumulate.
7. Many age classes of ammocoetes in streams can be impacted by mining
or _______________ activities because of their “colonial” nature.
_______________ is thought to be one of the reasons for the loss of
lamprey in the upper John Day River basin in Oregon.
8. Because lamprey ammocoetes _______________ areas and are
relatively _______________ in the stream, they are more sensitive to
effects from changes in the stream channels. In addition, the loss of
_______________ and side channel _______________ may reduce
areas for spawning and habitat for ammocoete. Roads built near streams
and other developments have resulted in many streams being
________________, loss of side-channel habitat and other features that
provide ammocoete habitat.
9. Reductions in the availability of host/food species may be affecting adult
lamprey survival and growth. Name three of the lamprey host/food
species.
10. Native and nonnative predators feed on both Pacific lamprey and salmon
during their migration. Name three of the predatory fish.
11. Harvest was historically more widespread for lampreys than today, though
may still present a threat, particularly if concentrated on rivers with low
numbers. Use of Pacific lampreys for _______________ has been
discontinued by the states of Oregon and Washington. California allows
the daily harvest of up to 5 lamprey (any species). Also in some areas
lamprey have been regularly _______________ for use as bait.
12. Several types of bird species that feed on fish have become abundant
along the Columbia River. _______________ commonly feed on lamprey.
As lamprey migrate back upstream in the Columbia River many are
preyed on by seals and ____________________. Since these animal feed
on Pacific lamprey, lamprey become a _______________ for salmon. In
addition lamprey are more calorie rich and easier to eat with their cartilage
skeleton.
Name _______________________ Date ______________ Class ____________
Lesson 5: Lamprey and Native American Tribes
1. Pacific lampreys are one of the many religious and subsistence
_______________ of the Native Americans in the mid-Columbia River
Plateau. Although lampreys are called ksuyas or asum in the Sahaptin
native tongue, many people refer to the Pacific lamprey as
“_______________.”
2. In the past 50 years Pacific Lamprey have been pushed to near extinction
in the ____________________ River Basin. Lamprey have been a part of
the cultures of the tribes in the Pacific ____________________ since time
immemorial and in the videos and information shown here tribal members
share their feelings on this amazing creature as well as what they are
doing to help keep them from going _______________.
3. Indians have lived along the Columbia River for thousands of years. There
are hundreds of different groups, now known as “tribes.” Each one is
unique in some way: clothing, language, houses, or government. There
are many tribes in the Pacific Northwest. Name the four “Plateau tribes”.
4. Lamprey are an important _______________ source for the Columbia
Basin Native American tribes. Fishing for lampreys is done by hand, dip
net, or long pole and hook at sites where lampreys gather together, such
as below _______________ or rapids. The fish were then prepared
traditionally by drying or ____________________.
5. Pacific lamprey also have medicinal value to Tribal peoples.
_______________ collected from drying lampreys is applied to the skin or
other ailing parts of the body. Historically, the oil was used to condition
hair and to cure _______________ aches.
6. Early fur traders used Pacific lampreys for food and also found that
lampreys were good bait for trapping _______________. In the early days
of fish hatcheries, raw ground Pacific lamprey proved to be a premium
feed for young ____________________.
7. A commercial fishery for Pacific lampreys began in 1941 at
____________________ Falls. Primary use of the fish was for vitamin oil
and ____________________ food for livestock, poultry, and fish meal.
8. To address the decline of Pacific Lamprey, the Columbia River treaty
tribes created the most comprehensive restoration plan for Pacific lamprey
that the Columbia Basin has seen. The Tribal Pacific Lamprey
____________________ Plan is the first restoration plan for Pacific
lamprey that will address lamprey restoration through a wide range of
mainstream and tributary actions.
Name _______________________ Date ______________ Class ____________
Lesson 6: Take Action!
Today the Pacific Lamprey need our help. This amazing and ancient fish will
continue to decline in numbers if we don’t take action. Biologists, fisheries
experts, and Columbia Basin tribal members are all working hard to help protect
this very important fish. However, there are action steps we can all take to help
protect lamprey fish. Here are some important steps everyone can take to help
protect the Pacific Lamprey.
List the Seven Ways YOU Can Help Protect Lamprey
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