Research to Guide Use of Pheromones to Control Sea Lamprey

The Great Lakes Fishery Commission (GLFC) considers the application of sea lamprey pheromones a promising alternative-control method for its sea lamprey management program. Several components of two pheromones that regulate migration and reproduction, respectively, have been identified and synthesized. Potential utility of these pheromone compounds in lamprey management have been demonstrated in a series of field experiments. These discoveries have laid a solid foundation for development of pheromone-based management. In order to identify potential strategies that will be practical, effective, and economical, we propose a hypothesis driven approach that integrates concepts and experimental methods from several disciplines of biological science, such as neurobiology, biochemistry, and behavioral ecology to illustrate the exact function of identified compounds. In the interim, we identify the necessary steps, or issues critical to eventual implementation, to charter a pathway that leads from laboratory research to effective deployment of pheromones. Finally, we highlight a strategy that fosters collaboration among scientists across disciplines, as well as among research institutes and lamprey control agencies, to accomplish this research agenda.