North American Journal of Fisheries Management. 2023;43:1449–1457. | 1449 wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/nafm Received: 23 July 2023 | Accepted: 25 July 2023 DOI: 10.1002/nafm.10970 SPECIAL SECTION Native Lampreys: Research and Conservation of Ancient Fishes Bringing partners together: A symposium on native lampreys and the Pacific Lamprey Conservation Initiative Theresa L. Liedtke 1 | Julianne E. Harris 2 | Christina J. Wang 2 | Trent M. Sutton 3 1 U.S. Geological Survey, Western Fisheries Research Center, Columbia River Research Laboratory, Cook, Washington, USA 2 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Columbia River Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office, Vancouver, Washington, USA 3 Department of Fisheries, College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, Alaska, USA Correspondence Theresa L. Liedtke Email: tliedtke@usgs.gov KEYWORDS dewatering, Entosphenus, life history, partnership, restoration INTRODUCTION Native lampreys (Petromyzontiformes) provide ecosys- tem services that benefit a range of aquatic organisms and are essential to Native American tribes for nutri- tional, medicinal, and ceremonial purposes. Native lamprey populations have declined globally, and many species are of conservation concern. We used conser- vation efforts for Pacific Lamprey Entosphenus triden- tatus, specifically the Pacific Lamprey Conservation Initiative, as an example of how a grassroots effort led to engaged partnerships and ongoing research that im- proved awareness, species conservation efforts, and hab- itat management of native lampreys. The need for more information on native lampreys has sparked research interest and collaboration among biologists, policymak- ers, and tribes. This interest, enthusiasm, and need led to a symposium at the 152nd annual meeting of the American Fisheries Society in Spokane, Washington, entitled “Native Lampreys: Research and Conservation of Ancient Fishes.” This special section includes six pa- pers presented at the symposium, along with eight ad- ditional studies. Four areas of native lamprey research and conservation, including a synopsis of key findings in each focal area, are addressed and are as follows: (1) life history and population dynamics, (2) streamflow management and dewatering, (3) restoration science, and (4) methodology to support research and manage- ment. Although the research summarized is focused on conservation efforts for native lampreys along the West Coast of the United States, biologists, managers, and re- source professionals outside of this region should find this issue to be a valuable resource. We believe that the research contained in this special section will inspire ad- ditional studies and provide direction on conservation efforts for native lampreys. Lampreys have been on Earth for hundreds of millions of years and are an integral part of freshwater and ma- rine systems that provide an array of ecosystem services benefitting many aquatic organisms (Gess et al. 2006; Shirakawa et al. 2013; Docker et al. 2015; Boeker and Geist 2016). This group of fishes is also important to human cultures by providing nourishment, medicine, and valuable family traditions passed down through generations (Close et al. 2002; Docker et al. 2015; Hanel et al. 2022). Lamprey populations have declined globally due primarily to urbanization of their habitats and dis- ruption of their migratory pathways (Maitland et al. 2015; Clemens et al. 2017, 2021). Native lampreys have not received substantial conser- vation efforts in the United States, except for the Pacific Lamprey Entosphenus tridentatus along the West Coast (Close et al. 2002; Wang and Schaller 2015). Native American tribes (hereafter, “tribes”) in the Columbia © 2023 American Fisheries Society. This article has been contributed to by U.S. Government employees and their work is in the public domain in the USA.