The Great Lakes Fishery Commission was established in 1955 by the Canadian/U.S. Convention on Great Lakes Fisheries. The commission coordinates fisheries research, controls the invasive sea lamprey, and facilitates cooperative fishery management among the state, provincial, tribal, and federal management agencies.
Canada and the United States share the Great Lakes fishery, a binational treasure worth more than $7 billion annually to the people of the two nations. The Great Lakes Fishery Commission, operating through the 1954 Convention on Great Lakes Fisheries, today facilitates successful cross-border cooperation that ensures the two nations work together to improve and perpetuate this fishery.
The 1954 Convention on Great Lakes Fisheries, which created the Great Lakes Fishery Commission, was born from a strong need to work together across borders not only to combat sea lampreys but also to promote science and establish working relationships among the players. The commission consists of four Canadian commissioners appointed by the Privy Council and four U.S. commissioners (plus one alternate) appointed by the President. The commissioners are supported by a secretariat, located in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
The convention charges the commission with five major duties:
- to develop a binational research program aimed at sustaining Great Lakes fish stocks;
- to coordinate or conduct research consistent with that program;
- to recommend measures to governments that protect and improve the fishery;
- to formulate and implement a comprehensive sea lamprey control program; and
- to publish or authorize publication of scientific and other information critical to sustaining the fishery.
Book exploring 70 year history of Great Lakes Sea Lamprey invasion, issue, and management.
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A collection of interviews with community anglers and agency researchers experiencing the 2000s Lake Huron Chinook Salmon fishery collapse.
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Video about invasive Sea Lamprey issue and management in the Great Lakes.
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