Effects of water pH on the uptake and elimination of the piscicide, 3-trifluoromethyl-4-nitrophenol (TFM), by larval sea lamprey.

Invasive sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) populations in the Great Lakes are controlled by applying the piscicide, 3-trifluoromethyl-4-nitrophenol (TFM), to infested streams with larval sea lamprey (ammocoetes). While treatment mortality is >90%, surviving lamprey, called residuals, can undermine control efforts. A key determinant of TFM effectiveness is water pH, which can fluctuate daily and seasonally in surface waters. The objectives of this research were to evaluate the influence of pH on the uptake, elimination, and accumulation of TFM by larval sea lamprey using radio-labeled TFM (14C-TFM), when exposed to a nominal concentration of 4.6mgTFML-1 or 7.6mgTFML-1, 3h or 1h, respectively. TFM uptake rates were approximately 5.5-fold greater at low pH (6.86) compared to the high pH (8.78), most likely due to the unionized, lipophilic form of TFM existing in greater amounts at a lower pH. In contrast, elimination rates following the injection of 85nmolTFMg-1 body mass were 1.7-1.8 fold greater at pH8.96 than at pH6.43 during 2-4h of depuration in TFM-free water. Greater initial excretion rates at pH8.96 were presumably due to predicted increases in outward concentration gradients of un-ionized TFM. The present findings suggest that TFM is mainly taken-up in its un-ionized form, more lipophilic form, but there is also significant uptake of the ionized form of TFM via an unknown mechanism. Moreover, we provide an explanation to how small increases in pH can undermine lampricide treatment success increasing residual lamprey populations.

A Sea Lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) Sex Pheromone Mixture Increases Trap Catch Relative to a Single Synthesized Component in Specific Environments.

Spermiating male sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) release a sex pheromone, of which a component, 7α, 12α, 24-trihydoxy-3-one-5α-cholan-24-sulfate (3kPZS), has been identified and shown to induce long distance preference responses in ovulated females. However, other pheromone components exist, and when 3kPZS alone was used to control invasive sea lamprey populations in the Laurentian Great Lakes, trap catch increase was significant, but gains were generally marginal. We hypothesized that free-ranging sea lamprey populations discriminate between a partial and complete pheromone while migrating to spawning grounds and searching for mates at spawning grounds. As a means to test our hypothesis, and to test two possible uses of sex pheromones for sea lamprey control, we asked whether the full sex pheromone mixture released by males (spermiating male washings; SMW) is more effective than 3kPZS in capturing animals in traditional traps (1) en route to spawning grounds and (2) at spawning grounds. At locations where traps target sea lampreys en route to spawning grounds, SMW-baited traps captured significantly more sea lampreys than paired 3kPZS-baited traps (~10% increase). At spawning grounds, no difference in trap catch was observed between 3kPZS and SMW-baited traps. The lack of an observed difference at spawning grounds may be attributed to increased pheromone competition and possible involvement of other sensory modalities to locate mates. Because fishes often rely on multiple and sometimes redundant sensory modalities for critical life history events, the addition of sex pheromones to traditionally used traps is not likely to work in all circumstances. In the case of the sea lamprey, sex pheromone application may increase catch when applied to specifically designed traps deployed in streams with low adult density and limited spawning habitat.