Relationships between anadromous lampreys and their host fishes in the eastern Bering Sea

Abstract

Arctic Lamprey Lethenteron camtschaticum and Pacific Lamprey Entosphenus tridentatus are ecologically and culturally important anadromous, parasitic species experiencing recent population declines in the North Pacific Ocean. However, a paucity of basic information on lampreys feeding in the ocean precludes an incorporation of the adult trophic phase into our understanding of lamprey population dynamics. The goal of this research was to provide insight into the marine life-history stage of Arctic and Pacific lampreys through lamprey-host interactions in the eastern Bering Sea. An analysis of two fishery-independent surveys conducted between 2002 and 2012 in the eastern Bering Sea revealed that Arctic Lampreys were captured in epipelagic waters of the inner and middle continental shelf and were associated with Pacific Herring Clupea pallasii and juvenile salmonids Oncorhynchus spp. In contrast, Pacific Lampreys were captured in benthic waters along the continental slope associated with bottom-oriented groundfish. Consistent with this analysis of fish assemblages, morphology of recently inflicted lamprey wounds observed on Pacific Cod Gadus macrocephalus was similar to morphology of Pacific Lamprey oral discs, but not that of Arctic Lamprey oral discs. Examination of 8,746 Pacific Cod, of which 4.9% had lamprey wounds, showed recent wounding rates positively increased with fish length up to 78 cm, and penetrating lamprey wounds were less likely to heal compared with superficial lamprey wounds, suggesting lamprey-related mortality. This study elucidates differences in the oceanic ecology between Arctic and Pacific lampreys and suggests a native lamprey can negatively impact hosts, which increases our understanding of lamprey ecology beyond traditional freshwater studies.