In the spirit of the 2024 Endangered Species Athletics, we spotlight the Pacific lamprey – a champion in its own right and a native fish species with one of the most active cheering sections around.
Culturally significant to Tribes and serving a vital role in its ecosystem, the Pacific lamprey is critically important but often misunderstood. Its stamina, strength, and agility to swim long distances, latch on to other animals for sustenance, and climb waterfalls with its suction mouth make it a formidable contender in the aquatic arena.
The Pacific lamprey is not listed under the Endangered Species Act but is conserved through the Pacific Lamprey Conservation Initiative, a collaboration of a diverse array of partners including Tribes, and federal and state agencies. Conservation efforts are needed due to barriers to fish passage fish passage
Fish passage is the ability of fish or other aquatic species to move freely throughout their life to find food, reproduce, and complete their natural migration cycles. Millions of barriers to fish passage across the country are fragmenting habitat and leading to species declines. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's National Fish Passage Program is working to reconnect watersheds to benefit both wildlife and people.
Learn more about fish passage , poor habitat conditions, changing climate, and other factors that have put Pacific lamprey in decline. It is also important to emphasize the Pacific lamprey is not an invasive species invasive species
An invasive species is any plant or animal that has spread or been introduced into a new area where they are, or could, cause harm to the environment, economy, or human, animal, or plant health. Their unwelcome presence can destroy ecosystems and cost millions of dollars.
Learn more about invasive species . Commonly confused, sea lamprey are invasive in the Great Lakes but are native to the Atlantic Ocean, rivers, and tributaries on the East Coast of the U.S., while Pacific lamprey are native to the Pacific Ocean and rivers and tributaries on the West Coast.
Enjoy this team of Pacific lampreys giving some encouraging lamPRAISE, cheering on endangered and threatened compatriots and celebrating conservation of all native species facing the challenges of today.
See athletes such as southern sea otter Michael Kelps and bull trout Diana Fryad and other species who are going head-to-head in the arena of conservation during the ESA Athletics!
