Sea lamprey control 2020 – 2040: Charting a course through dynamic waters

Delivery of a successful Sea Lamprey Control Program depends upon bi-national, government-funded operations and research and is contingent upon public understanding of the need for the Program and its ecosystem and economic benefits. Changing social, political, regulatory, and climatological environments present a host of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats requiring an array of responses. Such responses include, but are not limited to basic and applied research, improvements in sea lamprey assessment and control, development of supplemental control methods, enhancing outreach to better educate the public on the role and importance of the Program, and continued commitment to rapid integration of newly developed and scientifically vetted technologies. Taking a retrospective look from the desired condition in 2040 generated by a high level environmental scan coupled with an analysis of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, we charted a course to move towards that reality including eleven waypoints which we believe to be important. The desired condition, together with the waypoints, provide benchmarks against which Program delivery can be evaluated at the fourth Sea Lamprey International Symposium.