About PLCI
Freshwaters Illustrated
Pacific Lamprey in Decline
Pacific Lamprey (Entosphenus tridentatus) belong to a group of ancient fishes that have been around for ~400 million years and inhabit freshwater and ocean habitats from Southern California through the Pacific Northwest and Alaska, across the Bering Sea to Japan. Pacific Lamprey are a native species that historically returned to rivers and streams to spawn in large numbers. Current populations have declined in abundance and are impacted by misperceptions and lack of awareness. Threats to Pacific Lamprey occur in much of the species’ range and include artificial obstructions that restrict access to spawning and rearing habitats, reduced flows and dewatering of streams, stream and floodplain degradation, degraded water quality, and changing marine and climate conditions.
A Collaborative Solution
In 2004, a petition to list Pacific Lamprey under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) was deemed “not warranted” by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) due to a lack of information and defined distinct population segments. This decision and the cultural importance of Pacific Lamprey sparked a collaborative effort to restore this important species.
In 2007, an effort was initiated to conserve and restore Pacific Lamprey outside the ESA-listing process. The result was the formation of the Pacific Lamprey Conservation Initiative (PLCI) in 2008 – a diverse collaboration of Native American tribes, federal, state, municipal and local agencies, non-profits, and others working together to achieve long-term persistence of Pacific Lamprey and their habitats, and to support their traditional tribal uses across their historical range.
PLCI was formalized in 2012 with the signing of the first Conservation Agreement which affirmed a cooperative commitment by partnering organizations to leverage organizational resources to conesrve Pacific Lamprey and defined conservation objectives. The Conservation Agreement was revised and updated in 2022 to reflect structural and operational changes within PLCI, as well as current status and progress made by PLCI and our partners in support of lamprey conservation throughout the decade.
In 2026, PLCI developed and finalized the first, 5-year Strategic Plan (2026-2031) to identify organizational goals and strategies to ensure PLCI continues to successfully coordinate funding opportunites, facilitate partnership actions, and develop communications in line with PLCI’s mission.
PLCI’s partnership-driven strategy to improve the status of Pacific Lamprey is guided by the Conservation Agreement, the Pacific Lamprey Assessment, and the Regional Implementation Plans developed at the Regional Management Unit level.
Three Components of PLCI
Pacific Lamprey Assessment
Every five years partners evaluate Pacific Lamprey habitat condition, population demographics, distribution, and threats to characterize conservation risk across their historical range.
Conservation Agreement
First signed in 2012, as a voluntary commitment by partners to work collaboratively to reduce or eliminate threats to Pacific Lamprey.
Regional Implementation Plans
Developed by each of the 18 Regional Management Units (RMUs) spanning the Pacific Lamprey’s U.S. range to identify, prioritize, and implement key conservation actions.
Implementing the Initiative
Representatives from organizations from across the historical distribution of Pacific Lamprey and beyond make up the many committees, workgroups and Regional Management Units (RMUs) that lead and implement the conservation actions necessary to achieve long-term persistence and support the traditional tribal use of Pacific Lamprey.
Lamprey Technical Workgroup
A large, diverse, and active membership representing a variety of organizations from across PLCI's geographic range that serve as the Initiative's technical committee and consists of 11 subgroups.
Regional Management Units
Each of the 18 Regional Management Units (RUMs) are made up of local partners and stakeholders that collaborate to develop and implement Regional Implementation Plans (RIPs) that provide 3-5 year strategies for identifying projects and priorities to conserve and protect Pacific Lamprey in their region.
Conservation Team
The primary body supporting the implementation of the Conservation Agreement, made up of technical or management experts selected by the signatories and supporting entities.
Steering Committee
A subset of the Conservation Team that provides timeline guidance and oversight of the Conservation Team's responsibilities.
Policy Committee
High-ranking decision makers from the signatories and supporting entities. Provide visioning and guidance on long-term strategic planning, identification of funding sources, and outreach.
Pacific Lamprey Project Funding
Increased Need, Enthusiasm, & Opportunity
Since 2018, through a partnership with Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) and the Northwest Power and Conservation Council (NWPCC), PLCI has been able to provide approximately $300,000 annually towards lamprey projects in the Columbia River Basin. These projects have played a pivotal role in furthering PLCI’s mission, but this work is just the beginning and can only occur in this specific region.
PLCI was officially recognized as a fish habitat partnership (FHP) by the National Fish Habitat Partnership (NFHP) in 2016, and began receiving NFHP funding for projects throughout Pacific Lamprey’s historical range in 2022. Annually, PLCI receives approixmately $300,000 to support the coordination of PLCI and lamprey projects.
Projects supported by BPA and NFHP have played a pivitol role in furthering PLCI’s mission, but this work is just the beginning. Even with a lack of significant funding throughout Pacific Lamprey’s historical range, interest and enthusiasm in Pacific Lamprey continue to grow rapidly, as seen in the continued increase in attendance at PLCI’s annual Information Exchanges, requested funding often doubling available funding amounts, and increased interest and attendance in Native Lamprey Workshops being hosted throughout the US West Coast.
©2022 Pacific Lamprey Conservation Initiative