A rapid assessment approach to prioritizing streams for control of Great Lakes sea lampreys (Petromyzon marinus): a case study in adaptive management

We developed and evaluated an alternative method (rapid assessment or RA) for assessment of larval sea lamp- reys, Petromyzon marinus. We determined that using RA would result in at least as many, if not more, sea lampreys being killed than would using the current assessment method (quantitative assessment sampling or QAS) to select streams for lampricide treatment. Both assessment methods were carried out simultaneously throughout the entire Great Lakes basin from 2005 to 2007. RA required fewer resources than the current method and thus allowed for the chemical treatment of additional streams with lampricides, given a fixed overall budget for control. Population estimates generated from the QAS surveys showed that using RA would result in approximately equal numbers of metamorphosing lamprey and greater numbers of larval lamprey killed than by using QAS. Mark-recapture results indicated that prioritizing streams for treat- ment using RA may result in higher numbers of metamorphosing and larval lampreys killed than by using QAS. RA is currently being adopted throughout the Great Lakes as the method for assessing larval sea lamprey populations. Other fish- ery management programs may benefit from examining the value of their assessment programs relative to other uses of resources. Resume´ : Nous avons mis au point et evalueune methode de rechange (evaluation rapide ou RA) pour l'evaluation des populations de larves de la grande lamproie marine, Petromyzon marinus. Nous avons determineque l'utilisation de RA aurait comme consequence la destruction d'autant, sinon plus, de lamproies marines que l'utilisation de la methode courante d'evaluation (echantillonnage quantitatif d'evaluation ou QAS) pour le choix des cours d'eau destinesaun traite- ment au lampricide. Nous avons utiliseles deux methodes d'evaluation simultanement dans l'ensemble du bassin versant des Grands Lacs de 2005 a` 2007. La methode RA necessite moins de ressources que la methode courante et permet donc le traitement chimique au lampricide d'un nombre additionnel de cours d'eau dans le cadre d'un meme budget global de controle. Les estimations demographiques produites par les inventaires QAS montrent que l'utilisation de RA aurait comme resultat la destruction de nombres approximativement semblables de lamproies en metamorphose et de nombres plus eleves de larves de lamproies que l'utilisation de QAS. Les resultats d'une analyse de marquage et de recapture indi- quent que la priorisation des cours d'eau en vue du traitement par la methode RA pourrait avoir comme resultat une de- struction d'un plus grand nombre de lamproies en metamorphose et de larves que par la methode QAS. La methode RA est actuellement en train d'etre adoptee dans l'ensemble des Grands Lacs pour l'evaluation des populations de larves de grandes lamproies marines. Il pourrait etre avantageux pour d'autres programmes de gestion des peches d'examiner le cout de leurs programmes d'evaluation en regard des autres utilisations de leurs ressources. (Traduit par la Redaction)

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