Lampreys Online

Laurie Weitkamp.

The Hatfield Marine Science Center’s research seminar series has moved online, but is still going strong.  On Thursday, Aug. 6, 3:30 p.m., the speaker will be Laurie Weitkamp, a Research Fisheries Biologist with the NOAA Northwest Fisheries Science Center.

Her topic: “All things lamprey: biology, conservation, and brand new information on Pacific lamprey marine ecology.”

Laurie Weitkamp has been a salmon biologist at the NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) Fisheries' Northwest Fisheries Science Center since 1992, moving to the Newport Research Station in 2004.  She works on Pacific salmon conservation and estuarine and marine ecology, and recently started dabbling in lamprey estuarine and marine ecology.  She holds BS, MS and PhD degrees from the University of Washington.

Weitkamp’s description of her talk:

“The lampreys are ancient fishes that have gotten a bad rap because of invasive sea lamprey in the Great Lakes. Here on the West Coast, all 10 species of lampreys are native and many are either declining or of unknown status.  In this talk, I'll review the diverse biology of West Coast lampreys, their cultural importance to Native American Tribes, and discuss the multi-faceted conservation efforts underway to reverse declines of lamprey populations.  I'll also describe the new data we are assembling on Pacific lamprey caught in marine waters, which have greatly increased our knowledge of lamprey marine ecology.  With this talk, I hope to convince you that lamprey are truly amazing animals and need your help to survive another 400 million years.”

To sit in on this webinar, visit https://oregonstate.zoom.us/j/94555731151.