Geology topics

Peter J. Hrodey

Publications and source records attributed to Peter J. Hrodey.

8 recordsLinked to original sources

USGS2024

Effects of trap funnel and finger design on Sea Lamprey entrance and retention

Traps are used to catch adult sea lampreys during their upstream migration to estimate their abundance in streams and, in turn, provide a measure of the Sea Lamprey Control Program’s effectiveness. During 2015 and 2016, we experimentally compared two components of sea lamprey trap design: trap entrance funnel type and the presence of retention devices, using side-by-side instream test chambers as well as laboratory flumes. We modeled how likelihoods of entrance and retention were influenced by funnel type, retention fingers, water temperature, and lamprey sex. Likelihood of entrance was highest with bottom-oriented funnels and no retention fingers. As water temperature increased, the likelihood of entrance generally increased, but funnel type and retention fingers determined the magnitude of the increase. Likelihood of retention was highest with bottom-oriented funnels and retention fingers and was also influenced by water temperature. Overall, the likelihood of capture (result of entrance + retention) was highest for bottom-oriented funnels and varied by water temperature and lamprey sex but not retention fingers. Further testing on other components of trap design is needed. This type of controlled experimental design can help guide future work to improve trap exploitation rates.

Water↗

USGS2021

A case study of sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) control and ecology in a microcosm of the Great Lakes

The Cheboygan River, Michigan, is the only tributary to the upper Great Lakes where sea lamprey ( Petromyzon marinus ) are known to complete their entire life cycle. The Upper and Lower reaches are separated by the Cheboygan Lock and Dam located about 2 km from Lake Huron. In the Upper River, the Pigeon, Sturgeon, and Maple Rivers provide nursery habitat for larval sea lamprey. Burt and Mullett Lakes provide feeding grounds for juvenile sea lamprey. Low levels of immigration from Lake Huron occur when adult sea lamprey bypass the lock and dam. Lampricide treatment in the Pigeon, Sturgeon, and Maple Rivers began in 1966 and 15 treatments have been conducted to date at a combined cost of $435,000 USD per treatment. Treatments may become more difficult due to recent dam removals in the Pigeon (2016) and Maple Rivers (2018) that expanded habitat available to valued fishes and sea lamprey. At present, the landlocked population is less than 200 spawning adults, and those adults are generally smaller and may spawn earlier in the spring than adult sea lamprey from Lake Huron. Frequency of sea lamprey-induced wounding on steelhead ( Oncorhynchus mykiss ) and northern pike ( Esox lucius ) in Mullett Lake is less than 5%. Given increasing challenges of lampricide treatment, efforts to test other means of control such as sterile male release technique is on-going. The Cheboygan River represents a microcosm of the Great Lakes and is useful for learning about sea lamprey ecology and testing controls that supplement lampricides and barriers.

Michigan↗

USGS2021

A review of sea lamprey dispersal and population structure in the Great Lakes and the implications for control

Understanding the population structure of invasive sea lamprey ( Petromyzon marinus ) in the Great Lakes basin is essential for an effective control program. We review knowledge of lake connectivity, dispersal during the parasitic stage, and results from phenotypic, demographic, and genetic studies to evaluate how sea lamprey populations are structured. There is no evidence for contemporary movement between Lake Ontario and the Atlantic population, although it appears possible. Dispersal between Lake Ontario and the Finger Lakes is more likely, as is contemporary movement between Lakes Ontario and Erie via the Welland Canal, although neither has been directly observed. Downstream movement from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario via the Niagara River has been reported. Bidirectional movement between Lakes Erie and Huron has been observed, and movement of sea lamprey among the upper Great Lakes (especially between Lakes Huron and Michigan) is relatively common, although complete mixing likely does not occur. The maximum straight-line dispersal distance reported for a tagged sea lamprey was 628 km between the St. Marys River and western Lake Erie. Genetic population studies using a variety of molecular markers generally found weak but significant broad-scale population structure (e.g., between freshwater and anadromous populations, and among Lake Ontario, Lake Erie, and the upper Great Lakes), but finer-scale structure was rarely detected. Nevertheless, some within-basin structure is suggested by regional differences in phenotypic and demographic traits (e.g., sex ratio, body size). Further study will be important because management is most efficiently targeted when the geography of demographically independent populations is well-characterized.

Lake Ontario↗

USGS2021

Behavioral responses of sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) and white sucker (Catostomus commersonii) to turbulent flow during fishway passage attempts

An understanding of how undesirable and desirable fish species respond behaviorally to turbulent flow in fishways would guide development of selective fish passage techniques. We applied high-resolution computational fluid dynamics modeling and competing risks analysis towards the development of predictive selective passage models. Sea lamprey ( Petromyzon marinus ; an invasive fish in the Great Lakes Basin, North America) upstream passage probability declined from 0.73 to 0.03 as flow conditions became increasingly turbulent, while declines in white sucker ( Catostomus commersonii , a native fish in the region) upstream passage probability were less substantial (0.53 to 0.44). Deploying a sea lamprey trap in the fishway did not effectively reduce sea lamprey upstream passage probability, though capture rate increased during trials with cooler water temperature and low total kinetic energy. Bifurcated fishways that maintain low turbulent flow in the entrapment route and high turbulent flow in the upstream passage route could increase the effectiveness of trapping sea lamprey in fishways as a means to advance selective passage goals.

Wisconsin↗

USGS2020

Behavioral responses of sea lamprey to varying application rates of a synthesized pheromone in diverse trapping scenarios

Use of the first fish pheromone biopesticide, 3-keto petromyzonol sulfate (3kPZS) in sea lamprey ( Petromyzon marinus ) control requires an understanding of both how the amount 3kPZS applied to a trap relates to catch, and how that relationship varies among stream types. By conducting 3kPZS dose-response experiments over two years and across six varied trapping contexts, we conclude (1) that 3kPZS application is best standardized by how much is emitted from the trap instead of the fully mixed concentration achieved downstream, and (2) that 3kPZS is more effective in wide streams (>30 m). In wide streams, emission of 3kPZS at 50 mg hr. −1 from the trap increased capture rate by 10–15% as sea lamprey were 25–50% more likely to enter the trap after encounter. However, in narrow streams (< 15 m), 50 mg hr. −1 3kPZS generally reduced probabilities of upstream movement, trap encounter, and entrance. While 3kPZS significantly influenced upstream movement, encounter, and capture probabilities, these behaviors were also highly influenced by water temperature, stream width, sea lamprey length, and sex. This study highlights that a pheromone component in a stream environment does not ubiquitously increase trap catch in all contexts, but that where, how, and when the pheromone is applied has major impacts on whether it benefits or hinders trapping efforts.

Journal of Chemical Ecology↗

USGS2020

RAPTURE (RAD capture) panel facilitates analyses characterizing sea lamprey reproductive ecology and movement dynamics

Genomic tools are lacking for invasive and native populations of sea lamprey ( Petromyzon marinus ). Our objective was to discover single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) loci to conduct pedigree analyses to quantify reproductive contributions of adult sea lampreys and dispersion of sibling larval sea lampreys of different ages in Great Lakes tributaries. Additional applications of data were explored using additional geographically expansive samples. We used restriction site‐associated DNA sequencing (RAD‐Seq) to discover genetic variation in Duffins Creek (DC), Ontario, Canada, and the St. Clair River (SCR), Michigan, USA. We subsequently developed RAD capture baits to genotype 3,446 RAD loci that contained 11,970 SNPs. Based on RAD capture assays, estimates of variance in SNP allele frequency among five Great Lakes tributary populations (mean F ST 0.008; range 0.00–0.018) were concordant with previous microsatellite‐based studies; however, outlier loci were identified that contributed substantially to spatial population genetic structure. At finer scales within streams, simulations indicated that accuracy in genetic pedigree reconstruction was high when 200 or 500 independent loci were used, even in situations of high spawner abundance (e.g., 1,000 adults). Based on empirical collections of larval sea lamprey genotypes, we found that age‐1 and age‐2 families of full and half‐siblings were widely but nonrandomly distributed within stream reaches sampled. Using the genomic scale set of SNP loci developed in this study, biologists can rapidly genotype sea lamprey in non‐native and native ranges to investigate questions pertaining to population structuring and reproductive ecology at previously unattainable scales.

Michigan, Ontario, Wisconsin↗

USGS2019

Environmental and biological factors influence migratory Sea Lamprey catchability: Implications for tracking abundance in the Laurentian Great Lakes

Sea Lamprey Petromyzon marinus population trends in the Great Lakes are tracked by trapping migratory adults in tributaries and using mark and recapture techniques to estimate abundance. Understanding what environmental and biological factors influence Sea Lamprey capture in tributaries is crucial to developing efficient trapping methods and reliable abundance estimates. We analyzed data from trapping sites located on eight Great Lakes tributaries using Cormack-Jolly-Seber models and examined how water temperature, discharge, sex, and length influenced Sea Lamprey apparent survival and capture probability. Sea Lamprey apparent survival was negatively associated with water temperature in all tributaries. Additionally, the odds of small Sea Lamprey (≤45 cm) remaining available to capture were 39% less (95% CI: 63% decrease – 1% increase) than large (>45 cm) lamprey odds. These observed relationships were used to investigate if bias in abundance estimates using the pooled-Petersen estimator and Jolly-Seber models was expected to be similar across trapping locations or influenced by variable environmental conditions and biological traits. Pooled-Petersen abundance estimates had a positive bias when datasets were generated from simulated populations with empirical relationships between environmental characteristics and catchability. The degree of bias depended upon changes in stream warming patterns and was not consistent among trapping locations. Jolly-Seber models using data from either weekly-batch-marked or uniquely-marked individuals generated abundance estimate with low bias when data quality was high, but performed poorly in scenarios with few recaptured Sea Lamprey. This research can promote improved Sea Lamprey monitoring efforts by providing insight into the reliability of the pooled-Petersen abundance estimator as a tool for tracking Sea Lamprey populations and demonstrating the limitations of adopting more robust methods when data are sparse.

Laurentian Great lakes↗

USGS2018

Characterization of Sea Lamprey stream entry using dual‐frequency identification sonar

Effective methods to control invasive Sea Lampreys Petromyzon marinus in the Laurentian Great Lakes often rely on knowledge of the timing of the Sea Lamprey spawning migration, which has previously been characterized using data gathered from traps. Most assessment traps are located many kilometers upstream from the river mouth, so less is known about when Sea Lampreys enter spawning streams and which environmental cues trigger their transition from lakes to rivers. To decide how to develop barriers and traps that target Sea Lampreys when they enter a stream, the stream entry of Sea Lampreys into a Lake Huron tributary during 2 years was assessed using dual‐frequency identification sonar (DIDSON). Sea Lampreys entered the stream in low densities when temperatures first reached 4°C, which was up to 6 weeks and a mean of 4 weeks earlier than when they were first captured in traps located upstream. The probability of stream entry was significantly affected by stream temperature and discharge, and stream entry timing peaked when stream temperatures rose to 12°C and discharge was high. Examination of the entry at a finer temporal resolution (i.e., minutes) indicated that Sea Lampreys did not exhibit social behavior (e.g., shoaling) during stream entry. Our findings indicate that Sea Lampreys may be vulnerable to alternative trap types near river mouths and hydraulic challenges associated with traditional traps. Also, seasonal migration barriers near stream mouths may need to be installed soon after ice‐out to effectively block the entire adult Sea Lamprey cohort from upstream spawning habitat.

Michigan↗