Invasion of the Sea Lamprey
Season 1, Episode 7
Over the past 200 years, the Erie Canal reorganized the shape and biodiversity of the Great Lakes ecosystems. The Sea Lamprey was emblematic of this transformation. New transportation routes also made it easier for other animals to navigate the same waterways. So-called “invasive species,” like the Lamprey, disrupted “native species” like trout, and their ability to reproduce. And as those native species declined, so too did the economic activity of the people who depended on them. The lamprey was increasingly blamed as the primary cause. These two stories — creating new migration paths and the changing economics of natural fisheries resources — raise important question about what makes a species ‘natural’ or ‘alien.’
Works Cited:
​
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. “ Sea Lamprey: Petromyzon marinus Linnaeus 1758.” Last modified January 2004. Accessed December 15, 2017. https://www.fws.gov/GOMCP/pdfs/lampreyreport.pdf.
​
Williams, Ted. “Recovery: Why Sea Lampreys Need to Be Restored and Killed.” The Nature Conservancy: Cool Green Science. Published Dec. 11, 2017. Accessed Dec. 11, 2017. https://blog.nature.org/science/2017/12/11/recovery-why-sea-lampreys-need-to-be-restored-and-killed/.
Great Lakes Fishery Commission. “Sea Lamprey: A Great Lakes Invader.” Accessed December 15, 2017. http://www.glfc.org/sea-lamprey.php.
Langston, Nancy. Sustaining Lake Superior. Connecticut: Yale University Press, 2017.
U.S. Department of Agriculture: National Agricultural Library. “What is an Invasive Species?” Last modified May 24, 2016. Accessed December 17, 2017. https://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/whatis.shtml.
Cockburn, Andrew. “Weed Whackers: Monsanto, glyphosate, and the war on invasive species.” Harper’s Bazaar.
Great Lakes Fishery Commission. “Managing the Lake Huron Fishery.” Accessd December 18, 2017. http://www.glfc.org/eforum/article3.html.
“Blood Lake: Attack of the Killer Lampreys (TV Movie 2014).” IMDb, IMDb.com, www.imdb.com/title/tt3723790/. Photograph.
“Article, Commons Passes Bill Declaring War on Lampreys.” The Great Lakes Fishery Commission. Photograph.
“Old Electrical Sea Lamprey Barrier.” The Great Lakes Fishery Commission.
​