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Home » Species Profiles » Aquatic Invasives » Fish and Other Aquatic Vertebrates » Sea Lamprey

Sea Lamprey

Sea lamprey
Scientific Name:
Petromyzon marinus (Linnaeus, 1758) (ITIS)
Common Name:
Sea Lamprey
Photo:
Sea lamprey, adult - Photo by Lee Emery; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Native To:
Atlantic Ocean (NAS Database)
Date of U.S. Introduction:
First discovered in Lake Ontario in 1835 (though whether or not it is native to Lake Ontario is disputed); first discovered in Lake Erie in 1921 (NAS Database)
Means of Introduction:
Spread into the Great Lakes through the Welland Canal (NAS Database)
Impact:
Preys on native species (NAS Database)
Current U.S. Distribution:
Great Lakes

Distribution/Maps/Survey Status

Images

Videos

Selected Resources

The section below contains selected highly relevant resources for this species, organized by source. To view all related content for this species, click on "View all resources for species" in the top left of this page.

Council or Task Force

Species of Concern Fact Sheet: Sea Lamprey
Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force.

Partnership

Global Invasive Species Database - Petromyzon marinus (fish)
IUCN. Species Survival Commission. Invasive Species Specialist Group.
Invaders Factsheet: Sea Lamprey
Ontario's Invading Species Awareness Program (Canada).
Invasive Species Compendium - Petromyzon marinus
CAB International.
TISI Inventory - Sea Lamprey
Texas State University System. Texas Invasive Species Institute.

Federal Government

Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database: Fact Sheet - Sea Lamprey
DOI. USGS. Wetland and Aquatic Research Center.
Provides distribution maps and collection information (State and County).

State and Local Government

Aquatic Invasive Species: Sea Lamprey (Jul 2005) (PDF | 177 KB)

Indiana Department of Natural Resources.
See also: Invasive Species for exotic animal and plant pests invading Indiana, causing economic and visual damage
Nuisance & Invasive Species - Sea Lamprey
New York Department of Environmental Conservation.
Sea Lamprey and Control Efforts in Wisconsin

Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
Species Guide Index - Fish: Sea Lamprey
Ohio Department of Natural Resources. Division of Wildlife.

Academic

Introduced Species Summary Project - Sea lamprey
Columbia University. Center for Environmental Research and Conservation.
Invasive Species Fact Sheets - Sea Lamprey
University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute.
Sea Lamprey (Petromyzon marinus)
University of Minnesota. Minnesota Sea Grant.

Professional

Sea Lamprey: A Great Lakes Invader
Great Lakes Fishery Commission.

Citations