The seneca nation conservation - fish and wildlife department will help to assess the population of sea lamprey inhabiting lake erie by monitoring a tributary during the spawning season

The department will supply three workers over a nine-week period during spring summer of 2025 LO assist the US fish and wildlife service with monitoring the migration of adult sea lamprey in the cattaraugus creek on the seneca nation s cattaraugus territory. Continued monitoring of sea lamprey abundance in this tributary is critical to assessment of success of sea lamprey control in lake erie. The information collected during the monitoring period is used to estimate the adult sea lamprey population in eastern lake erie and ultimately the lake erie estimate, which is used to make decisions on budget and treatment allocation across the great lakes. The project goal is to assess sea lamprey abundance in the great lakes by monitoring the spring spawning migration in tributaries. Project methods are to conduct a schaefer mark-recapture protocol to estimate abundance of sea lamprey in the assigned watershed. The seneca nation conservation - fish and wildlife department will utilize three staff members to carry out project activities. Two staff will be responsible for daily monitoring of sea lamprey traps and one staff member will be responsible for conducting record keeping and data entry activities. Deliverables for this project are the reports submitted to the US fish and wildlife services indicating sea lamprey abundance in the cattaraugus creek over a nine-week time period in spring and summer when the lamprey are spawning. Expected outcomes for the project are, at the least, maintenance of lamprey populations at current levels or a decrease in abundance in lake erie. Intended beneficiaries are individuals who consume fish, notably trout and salmon, which are among the sea lamprey s favored targets. Also included as beneficiaries are those who earn their living in fishing-related professions in the great lakes, such as commercial fishing, sport and charter fishing, tourism, and subsistence fishing for tribes.