OCTOBER 1, 2001
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Their Health is an Indicator
for the Entire Watershed
PACIFIC LAMPREY eel
Lampetra tridentata
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hatching by drifting downstream to
stable pools, where they burrow into
the river bottoms.
The larvae subsist mainly on food
particles that come their way in the
form of algae and diatoms, which
they filter. Following their metamor
phosis into adulthood, the new lam
prey make their way to the sea, of
1 ten by drifting. Once in the ocean,
the adult lamprey enjoy their exist
ence as parasites, attaching to other
fish, often salmon, with their infa
mous oral cavities and basically feed
off the blood. Ocean life will gener
ally last around three years before
they feel the urge to spawn, and so
the process repeats itself. Much like
salmon, they seldom eat during
spawning, and shrink noticeably.
Lamprey have never been high
up on the food chain, but evidence
suggests that their role in that par
ticular hierarchy has been severely
underestimated. One study in the
mid 1980's found that Pacific Lam
prey were in fact "the most abun
dant dietary item" for seals and sea
lions. Similarly, in egg and larval
stage, they were staples for scores
of marine predators, including
among them catfish, crawfish, min
nows, rainbow trout, terns and
gulls. Even the de
composing bodies of
spawned out adults
were favorites of
white sturgeon.
Links have been
made then, in the
decline of lamprey
with the demise of
salmonids. As
predators have no
ticed an absence of
their easy meals,
they have turned
their attention on
the next logical al
ternative, salmon,
young and old. No
wonder that the
geographic distribu
tion of Pacific Lam
prey, from Califor
nia to Alaska, has often matched
that of salmon.
W ith that said and done, we ar
rive once again at the issue
of Willamette Falls, and the permits.
Reviewing what information ex
isted, ODFW concluded that "The
Willamette River lamprey is the last
substantial run of lampreys in the
Columbia River basin," announced
at the same time as its decision to
issue restrictive permits for those
wishing to gather lamprey at Wil
lamette Falls. .
Of course, harvesting of lamprey
hasn't exactly been a goldmine as
of late. The economic value of the
fish goes roughly one dollar to the
pound. Natives make up a signifi
cant portion of the collectors, with
the rest being commercial fisher
men, who usually sell the creatures
as bait or biological specimens (for
dissection in classes). Rumors exist
that some are shipped out to Asia
and France and Portugal, where
they are considered a delicacy.
Kelly Doerksen and Kathleen
Feehan, environmental specialists in
the Tribe's Natural Resources de
partment, were actually on hand for
the opening of this year's lamprey
season on June 16 at the falls.
Though a clear lamprey presence
was visible, the legendary "armloads
of them" from the era of Vivette was
non-existent. Doerksen and Feehan
were both alarmed by the number
of lamprey carcasses they saw float
ing around, and the fish were, as
reputed, fairly easy to catch.
Doerksen offers one theory for
lamprey decline, which he con
cluded after the venture to
Willamette Falls.
"Fish ladders," he said. "They
help the salmon and the trout, but
not the lamprey."
The reason, obviously, is the
physiology of the lamprey. While
salmon and trout are famous for
their ingenuity for clearing falls and
other obstacles, lampreys are much
less gifted. Using their sucker
mouths, they inch their way around
barriers, when they actually can.
Not surprisingly, the same physi
cal attributes that limit lampreys in
adulthood also curb survey efforts
for biologists. As adults found in
freshwater are generally spawning,
counting the larvae can give a much
better idea of the population. And
counting the larvae is perhaps the
most difficult aspect of all.
"If you find an ammocoete in a
stream, you're lucky," said Feehan.
As Feehan and Doerksen ex
plained it, since the larvae burrow
into the streambed sediment, devel
oping a comprehensive survey will
be a difficult task. Difficult may be
a weak word, actually.
"We are starting from ground zero,"
said Doerksen. "And there isn't much
money for the research. It's not a
high priority, really," he said. "Be
cause only Indians eat them."
Doerksen is not the first to make
that observation. Tribal mem
bers and others who express con
cern for the lamprey might be re
lieved to know that in that opinion,
they've an ally.
Bill Bakke, who acts as Director
of the Native Fish Society, believes
Natives and only Natives, should
have the right to harvest lamprey
Leonard Vivette, Tribal Elder
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at Willamette Falls, or for that mat
ter anywhere in the Columbia Ba
sin. He even sent a letter to ODFW
when announcement for permits
was made. The letter urged them
to not allow any commercial har
vest at all.
"Historically, this species has al
ways been important to Native
Americans," he said. "In fact, they
are the only people who it is impor
tant to."
Bakke dislikes the idea of lam
preys ending up on dissecting tables
or the plates of French and Portu
guese gourmands. He calls the
ODFWs decision to issue permits
"inadequate," hinting that the de
cline of lampreys could be seriously
underestimated.
"If someone were to actually peti
tion the lamprey," he said. "I think,
yes, it could possibly qualify as an
Endangered Species."
Instead, it lingers on ODFWs list
of "Sensitive Species," which for
Bakke might as well be limbo.
Bakke does however, agree with the
department and with many others,
that before jumping to conclusions,
the biggest issue confronting those
who would save the lamprey is in
formation, or lack thereof.
"It's a serious problem, I think,"
he continued. "But still, we need
data."
Endangered or not, Tribal Cul
tural Specialist June Olson
agreed with Bakke that regarding
the lamprey, the sooner the better.
"Historically, only camas and
salmon were more important
staples in our diets," she said.
Like Bakke, Olson also feels the
plight of the lamprey has been
largely ignored and taken too
lightly by ODFW.
"The outside world doesn't give
much credence to the lamprey," she
said. "And that's because it's not a
big sport fish."
That aside though, she hopes
Tribal members will learn to appre
ciate the maligned fish, whether
they ever decide to eat one or not.
"We may be the only ones who
can save it," she claimed. "The lam
prey is us, a facet of our history.
"It kept us alive when other
sources of food were scarce."
Perhaps Hubert Mercier summed
it up best.
"If you ever get some, let me
know," he said. "I'd sure like to try
some again."
"If," of course, is the operative
word. D
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Butch LaBonte, Tribal Council
Marion Mercier, Tribal Member