Pacific Lamprey
Lampetra tridentata
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Photo courtesy of NOAA
Image was obtained through the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission website.
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Aquaculture Potential
The Pacific lamprey may be cultured for research purposes rather than for food since there is only a small commercial base to support culturing it (Swihart 2001). There are also Native American cultural uses of this species. The lamprey is one of the few living agnathan species.
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In-depth Information Regarding this Species
| U.S. Range in the Pacific Ocean |
Bering Sea to Baja (Love 1996) |
| Behavior |
320 (Love 1996) |
| General Salinity Range (ppt) |
Anadromous
Adults in ocean (Love 1996) |
| Average Maximum Overall Length (cm) |
76 (Love 1996) |
| Overall Maximum Age (years) |
Up to 5 years in river
then 7 in ocean (Love 1996) |
| Overall Length at Maturity (cm) |
18 (Love 1996) |
| Fecundity |
10,000–106,000 (Love 1996) |
| Spawning Habitat |
Shallow areas over coarse sand or gravel (Love 1996) |
| Spawning Behavior |
Form nests (Love 1996) |
| Time of Year of Spawning |
Enter stream from April–June
Spawn the following year from April–June (Love 1996) |
| Days to Hatch |
168 (Love 1996) |
| Habitat where Larvae are found |
Bury in mud in rivers (Love 1996) |
| Larval Food Preference |
Diatoms (Love 1996) |
| Habitat where Juveniles are found |
Enter ocean around 12 cm long (Love 1996) |
| Juvenile Food Preference |
Salmon, Pollock, Rockfish (Love 1996) |
| Adult Food Preference |
Salmon, Pollock, Rockfish (Love 1996) |
| Commercial Fishery |
Small commercial fishery (Love 1996) |
| Market |
Delicacy in Europe (Love 1996) |
| Additional Remarks |
Can detect electric fields (Love 1996) |
Recent Wild Harvest Data for Oregon
Data from the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
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Year
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Total Catch
(Pounds)
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Ex-vessel Value
( U.S. Dollars)
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1989
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8,366
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2,950
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1990
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14,203
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3,562
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1991
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32,221
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9,017
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1992
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9,089
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2,381
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1993
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17,858
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4,028
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1994
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14,260
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4,561
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1995
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21,897
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21,760
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1996
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31,264
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28,405
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1997
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34,242
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29,140
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1998
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28,218
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28,610
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Photo contributed by:
Douglas F. Markle
Department of Fisheries & Wildlife
Oregon State University
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