Geology topics

Ralph T. Lampman

Publications and source records attributed to Ralph T. Lampman.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

USGS2022

Monitoring the movements of juvenile Pacific Lamprey (Entosphenus tridentatus) in the Yakima River, Washington, using acoustic telemetry, 2019–20

Anthropogenic barriers to main-stem and tributary passage are one of the primary threats associated with declining populations of Pacific Lamprey ( Entosphenus tridentatus ) in the Columbia River Basin. Juvenile lamprey are of special interest because their downstream migration to the ocean may be affected by barriers such as dams or water diversions. Telemetry studies that describe the movement and passage of juvenile lamprey have not been possible until the recent development of a micro-transmitter specifically for use in juvenile lamprey and eels. Through a collaborative research approach, we used these prototype transmitters and acoustic monitoring arrays installed for a juvenile salmon ( Oncorhynchus spp.) migration study to evaluate juvenile lamprey movements in the Yakima River (river kilometer 179 to the river mouth) in 2019 and 2020. We tagged and released 152 juvenile lamprey from April 30 to June 5, 2019, and on June 9, 2020. Lamprey were released 6.9 kilometers (km) upstream from Wapato Dam, 1.2 km upstream from Prosser Dam, and into the canal and tailrace at Prosser Dam. Most tagged lamprey did not initiate downstream movements within the 18 days of tag life, as evidenced by our detections of lamprey in the highest numbers at the first monitoring site downstream from their release site, with limited or no detections at sites farther downstream. There was no evidence of missed detections (lamprey detected at a downstream site without corresponding detections upstream). Overall detections of tagged lamprey were low: 27.0 percent in 2019 and 48.0 percent in 2020. River flows were less than the 10-year average during the monitoring period and water temperatures were variable. Lamprey arrived at detections sites predominantly during periods of darkness (85.3–96.6 percent) following daytime releases. Travel rates through the study area ranged from 0.2 to 45.3 kilometers per day, and lamprey generally remained at each detection station for less than about 20 minutes. Groups of lamprey released together generally had similar travel rates with a small number of fish that moved more quickly or slowly than the remainder of the group. In addition to monitoring the migration and behavior of juvenile lamprey, we also assessed some assumptions of survival models (determining downstream drift of purposely killed fish and empirically measuring transmitter operating life) to benefit future evaluations focused on migration survival of juvenile lamprey.

Washington↗

USGS2019

Movements of juvenile Pacific Lamprey (Entosphenus tridentatus) in the Yakima and Columbia Rivers, Washington, 2018—A pilot study using acoustic telemetry

Telemetry has been an invaluable tool to improve our understanding of adult Pacific Lamprey ( Entosphenus tridentatus ) movements and to guide management approaches to protect and restore this species of concern. Juvenile and larval lamprey, however, are much smaller than adults, and have not been monitored with telemetry because available transmitters have traditionally been too large. With funding from the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory developed a prototype micro-transmitter of appropriate size for use in small fish such as juvenile lampreys and eels. Through a collaborative research approach, we used these prototype transmitters to do a pilot level evaluation of juvenile lamprey (macrophthalmia) movements in the Yakima and Columbia Rivers in 2018. Our project monitored tagged lamprey using acoustic monitoring arrays installed and maintained for juvenile salmon ( Oncorhynchus spp.) migration studies done by our partners. The study was done in the lower Yakima River, Washington, from river mile 111 to the river mouth, and in the Columbia River, from the Yakima River mouth to Camas, Washington, downstream of Bonneville Dam. We released four groups of tagged lamprey from May 9 to 15, 2018. Two groups were released at the upper site (located at the State Route 24 bridge, about 4.5 river miles upstream of Wapato Dam), and two groups were released at the lower site (about 1.7 miles upstream of the Yakima River mouth). We detected 95.6 percent of the tagged lamprey, with more individuals detected in the Columbia River than in the Yakima River. Lamprey arrived at Bonneville Dam in an average of 8.0–9.6 days from the upper site (300 river miles) and in an average of 6.5 days from the lower site (193 river miles). Lamprey moved through the study area at an average rate of 30–35 miles per day and generally remained at each detection site for less than about 20 minutes. Most lamprey (63 percent) arrived at detection sites during periods of darkness, but some travel occurred during daylight and transitional light periods.

Washington↗

USGS2017

Conservation challenges and research needs for Pacific lamprey in the Columbia River Basin

The Pacific Lamprey Entosphenus tridentatus , an anadromous fish native to the northern Pacific Ocean and bordering freshwater habitats, has recently experienced steep declines in abundance and range contractions along the West Coast of North America. During the early 1990s, Native American tribes recognized the declining numbers of lamprey and championed their importance. In 2012, 26 entities signed a conservation agreement to coordinate and implement restoration and research for Pacific Lamprey. Regional plans have identified numerous threats, monitoring needs, and strategies to conserve and restore Pacific Lamprey during their freshwater life stages. Prime among these are needs to improve lamprey passage, restore freshwater habitats, educate stakeholders, and implement lamprey-specific research and management protocols. Key unknowns include range-wide trends in status, population dynamics, population delineation, limiting factors, and marine influences. We synthesize these key unknowns, with a focus on the freshwater life stages of lamprey in the Columbia River basin.

British Columbia, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, ↗