Growth potential and host mortality of the parasitic phase of the sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) in Lake Superior

• Published in: Canadian journal of fisheries and aquatic sciences Vol. 62; no. 10; pp. 2343 - 2353
• Main Authors: Jorgensen, Jeffrey C, Kitchell, James F
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Ottawa, Canada NRC Research Press 01.10.2005; National Research Council of Canada; Canadian Science Publishing NRC Research Press
• Subjects: Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Applied ecology; Bioenergetics; Biological and medical sciences; Blood; Conspecifics; Exploitation and management of natural biological resources (hunting, fishing and exploited populations survey, etc.); Feeding rates; Fish; Freshwater; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Lakes; Mortality; Oncorhynchus kisutch; Oncorhynchus mykiss; Oncorhynchus tshawytscha; Parasites; Petromyzon marinus; Petromyzontidae; Salmon; Salvelinus namaycush; Sea lamprey; Sexual maturity; Size; Spawning; Spring; Summer; United States; Lake Superior; Great Lakes of America; North America; America; United States; USA; North America, Superior L; Canada, Ontario, Superior L; Agnatha; Freshwater environment; Aquatic environment; Vertebrata; Growth; Mortality; Host; Petromyzon marinus
• ISSN: 0706-652X; 1205-7533
• DOI: 10.1139/f05-144

Landlocked Lake Superior sea lampreys (Petromyzon marinus) cause a significant but uncertain amount of mortality on host species. We used a sea lamprey bioenergetics model to examine the scope of host sizes vulnerable to death as a consequence of sea lamprey feeding and incorporated the bimodal lake-ward migration of parasitic sea lampreys. At their peak feeding rate and maximum size (P = 1.0, proportion of maximum consumption), spring migrants were capable of killing lean lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) hosts ≤ 2.0 kg, which was larger than fall migrants (1.8 kg). Spring migrants feeding on Pacific salmon (coho (Oncorhynchus kisutch), Chinook (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha), and steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss)) killed hosts ≤ 2.0 kg, but fall migrants killed hosts as large as 2.8 kg. Although there is no direct empirical evidence, bioenergetics modeling suggests that it is plausible that some of the largest sea lampreys in Lake Superior spent more than one summer as parasites. Two-summer parasites readily attained sizes of sea-run adult anadromous sea lampreys and killed hosts from 3 to >5.5 kg in size. The maximum upper limit number of 2-kg hosts killed by two-summer parasites was nearly twice that of one-summer parasites.