Sea Lamprey Research and Management - Indigenous Input and Inclusion

The 3I Project: Indigenous Input & Inclusion

Since colonization, Indigenous communities in North America have been largely excluded from mainstream decision-making and planning processes that dictate activities and consequences on traditional territories. The relationships between fisheries management agencies, governments, and Indigenous nations are often fraught due to historical and continued traumas, power imbalances, and various forms of environmental and racial injustices. 

The Great Lakes Fishery Commission (GLFC) is not immune from these tensions and histories of exclusion. Formed in 1955, the GLFC was established to directly address the implications of sea lamprey presence in the Great Lakes. Sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) first entered the Great Lakes in the mid-1900s from the Atlantic Ocean at a time when the Great Lakes were already threatened by intensive overfishing and habitat degradation. The introduction of sea lamprey hastened the decline of important commercial fish species like lake trout and lake whitefish. The dire state of the Great Lakes fisheries led to binational and multi-jurisdictional collaboration through treaty and the formation of the GLFC. The GLFC was tasked with controlling the sea lamprey and has effectively reduced populations by 90% thanks to two main control methods: [1] barriers to block spawning migrations up tributaries and [2] the application of chemicals known as lampricides to target larval sea lamprey. Despite the effectiveness of these methods, no control tactic is perfect and non-target effects occur including barrier habitat fragmentation and lampricide induced mortality. Critically, many control measures occur within Indigenous territories, often without express permission or adequate consultation with First Nations or Tribes. Although there are several examples of positive collaboration among management agencies and Indigenous Nations, much work remains to achieve truly just decision-making and equitable consideration of Indigenous values in this system.

Cooperation across groups and borders, as well as sustained and reciprocal research relationships, are key to successfully managing fisheries and aquatic ecosystems through space and time. This project proposes to strengthen avenues of engagement and create opportunities for Indigenous Input & Inclusion (“3I Project”) in GLFC-supported activities by focusing specifically on a long-standing and divisive issue – the invasive sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) and its control. At present, there is limited research on the socio-ecological relationships between Indigenous Peoples and lampreys (both native and invasive) in the Great Lakes, and no research on Indigenous perspectives of sea lamprey control. The exploratory 3I Project will focus on enhancing collective understanding of Indigenous perspectives of and experiences with sea lamprey and their control in the Great Lakes Basin. This research will also identify research and management priorities as well as best practices to directly guide future work.