DEATH’S WHISPERER: An AI-Guided Aquatic Robotic System for Sea Lamprey Detection, Pheromone-Assisted Luring, Targeted Interception, and Ecological Control
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Death’s Whisperer is a proposed AI-guided aquatic robotic system designed to support the detection, pheromone-assisted attraction, targeted interception, and controlled removal of invasive sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) in Great Lakes tributary environments. The system integrates sealed underwater robotic swimmers, onboard battery banks, AI-guided visual and sonar recognition, environmental sensing, coordinated propulsion and maneuvering, and pheromone-assisted luring. Its operational strategy is to exploit sea lamprey migration and reproductive behavior to guide target animals into controlled interception corridors before successful spawning. The proposed architecture incorporates coordinated robotic deployment, species confirmation, human supervision, downstream netting and biological recovery, environmental safeguards, and post-operation monitoring. The objective is to reduce sea lamprey reproductive success and associated harm to native fish populations while limiting unnecessary disturbance to surrounding aquatic ecosystems. This Version 1.0 concept paper documents the original design philosophy, biological control logic, system architecture, proposed operational framework, environmental considerations, and staged validation pathway. It is an engineering concept and research proposal; prototype performance and field effectiveness have not yet been experimentally established. Author: Michael James Arnold. Copyright © 2026 Michael James Arnold. All rights reserved.
Source: Open Science Framework
Author: MICHAEL JAMES ARNOLD
Language: English
Subfield: Nature and Landscape Conservation
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7225661941
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