How a Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment of Pacific Lamprey Informs Conservation Actions

Pacific Lamprey along the West Coast of the United States have declined in abundance and become restricted in distribution throughout Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and California.  Threats to Pacific Lamprey occur in much of the range of the species and include restricted mainstem and tributary passage, reduced flows and dewatering of streams, stream and floodplain degradation, degraded water quality, and changing marine and climate conditions.  The Pacific Lamprey Conservation Initiative (Initiative) is a regional strategy to improve the status of Pacific Lamprey throughout their range by helping implement research and conservation actions (http://www.fws.gov/pacific/Fisheries/sphabcon/lamprey/index.cfm). One of the key areas of uncertainty identified through the Initiative (and our multiple partners) was the impact of climate change on Pacific Lamprey and how these effects would influence the priorities for restoration actions. We identified downscaled environmental exposures that influence Pacific Lamprey vulnerability and characterize Pacific Lamprey life-stage sensitivity to direct exposure for these specific environmental metrics.  We applied a tool for consistently scoring the vulnerability of Pacific Lamprey to future climate change across the Pacific coast of the United States. The findings revealed the patterns of vulnerability for Pacific Lamprey across their US range are informative for guiding restoration activities.