The sea lamprey is an uncommon species that may be found throughout the coast of the German North Sea (Ref. 88187, 88716, 88717) and its adjacent river systems. It occurs in the Rhine area to Baden-Württemberg, the Elbe region to Saxony, the Weser and (more rarely) the Ems Rivers and their tidal tributaries (Ref. 51031, 88172, 88717). Spawning migrations are regularly documented in all major tributaries of the tidal Elbe (Lower Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein).

Occurs in coastal waters of the German Baltic Sea, with 14 recent records (1990-2005) ranging from Flensburg Bight to coastal waters of Usedom Island (Ref. 88173).

Although the sea lamprey is known from the Odra catchment area to Brandenburg (Ref. 88717) and is thought to have spawned in the Trave River system in Schleswig-Holstein (Ref. 88718), there have been no current observations of spawning in rivers draining into the German Baltic Sea (Ref. 88173). Recent records from German waters may come from Swedish spawning populations that enter the Kattegat and Öresund (Ref. 88173).

Recorded from ballast water in commercial vessels docking in Germany (Ref. 37896).

Threat status: Endangered in 1984 (Ref. 27368). Critically endangered in 1992 (Ref. 33852). Critically endangered in the German Baltic Sea in 1996 (Ref. 88159). Endangered in Schleswig-Holstein in 2002 (Ref. 88198); endangered in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania in 2002 (Ref. 88199); critically endangered in Lower Saxony in 1993 (Ref. 88200). Protected year-round in Schleswig-Holstein in 1997 (Ref. 41851).

The status of the sea lamprey assessed according to the latest national report for the habitats directive reporting period 2000-2006 was “unfavourable / bad” for the Atlantic biogeographic region (German North Sea) and “unknown” for the Continental biogeographic region (German Baltic Sea) (Ref. 88158, 88160).

Human activities in the German North and Baltic seas and adjacent river systems that might affect river lampreys: obstructions in rivers, fisheries, chemical pollution, sediment removal, eutrophication and channel deepening (Ref. 83294, 88171).