Analysis of Behavior and Diet in Pacific Lamprey Larva

Pacific lampreys are prehistoric anadromous fish which reside in both fresh and salt water habitats. Although this ancient fish has an important cultural role for many of the native tribes in the Western United States, much basic information regarding their life history still remains unknown. In this experiment we attempt to determine the feeding habits of larval Pacific lamprey (primarily 0+ age class) through a series of feeding trials using 5 different varieties of feed including detritus, algae (spirulina), plankton, dry yeast, and salmon carcass. Feeding trials were conducted using large 10-gallon tanks (20 x 11 x 12 inches) and 83-gallon trough tanks (200 x 16 x 6 inches) with six compartments.  Food substrates were spread an equal distance from one another and placed within fine sediment sand at the bottom of each tank or compartment.  100 ammocoetes were initially dispersed evenly throughout each various tanks/compartment and left for a 24-hour feeding period to determine their behavioral preference towards the various feeds. We predicted that their feed preference would consist mainly of detritus and plankton. Information obtained from these feeding trials will help us understand the biological requirements of the newly hatched larvae and will provide crucial information for many of the ongoing lamprey restoration projects, including artificial rearing and translocation  of Pacific lamprey.