Eel River Pacific Lamprey Barrier Assessment

Eel River Pacific Lamprey Barrier Assessment & Limiting Factors Analysis

The National Resource Department's (NRD) first U.S. Fish and Wildlife Tribal Wildlife Grant (TWG) consisted of conducting lamprey barrier assessments on the Eel River and develop a Limiting Factors Analysis.

Person standing in water coming out of drain

Literature Review

A literature review was conducted by Abel Brumo (Stillwater Sciences) which helped clarify the urgent need for more extensive research focused on Pacific lamprey in the Eel River. The document is titled, Pacific Lamprey in the Eel River Basin: A Summary of Current Information and Identification of Research Needs (PDF).

Final Report

With the assistance of Stillwater Sciences, the Department has completed the final report titled, Evaluation of Barriers to Pacific Lamprey Migration in the Eel River Basin (PDF). The Department evaluated approximately 60 barriers within the Eel River watershed from Ferndale as far south as Willits. The project involved conducting habitat/ammocoete surveys, evaluating barrier characteristics and dimensions, and measuring longitudinal profiles and tailwater cross sections.

Limiting Factors Analysis

The last phase of the project was the creation of a Eel River Pacific lamprey limiting factors analysis titled, Aconceptual framework for understanding factors limiting Pacific lamprey production in the Eel River basin (PDF).