Prospects for Integrated Pest Management of the Sea Lamprey (Petromyzon marinus)

The concepts of integrated pest management (IPM) may be applied to the problem of controlling the sea lamprey, Petromyzon marinus, in the Great Lakes. IPM originated as the integration of biological and chemical methods of insect control. It has since evolved into an interdisciplinary approach to ecologically, economically, and socially compatible pest control based on applied systems ecology, real-time monitoring systems and optimal control theory. The component processes of sea lamprey population dynamics are discussed with reference to key ecological variables and possible control points. To implement an integrated approach to sea lamprey pest management successfully, work is needed on basic lamprey biology and ecology, predictive models, alternative control tactics, and the economics of lamprey-induced injury to fish.