Evaluate habitat use and population dynamics of lampreys in Cedar Creek: annual report for 2001

Pacific lamprey (Lampetra tridentata) in the Columbia River Basin have declined to a remnant of their pre-1940s populations and the status of the western brook lamprey (L. richardsoni) is unknown. Identifying the biological and ecological factors limiting lamprey populations is critical to their recovery, but little research has been conducted on these species within the Columbia River Basin. This ongoing, multi-year study examines lamprey populations in Cedar Creek, Washington, a third-order tributary to the Lewis River. This annual report describes the activities and results of the second year of this project. Adult (n = 24), metamorphosed (n = 247), transforming (n = 4), and ammocoete (n = 387) stages from both species were examined in 2001. Lamprey were captured using adult fish ladders, lamprey pots, rotary screw traps, and lamprey electrofishers. Twenty-nine spawning ground surveys were conducted. Nine strategic point-specific habitat surveys were performed to assess habitat requirements of juvenile lamprey