The Great Lakes Fishery Commission is holding its annual meeting at Caesars Windsor over the next couple days, bringing together commissioners, staff, scientists, and partners from across the basin for a mid-year check-in on progress and priorities.
Key agenda items include state-of-the-lake reports, expert and advisor input, and discussions on emerging issues.
The commission is also focusing on its core work, including science, cross-border coordination, and habitat management.
Greg McClinchey is the director of policy and legislative affairs and says there’s growing concern with fish populations.
“We’ve got some real issues in Lake Michigan and in the northern Lake Huron, where we’re looking at whitefish populations that are declining at a really alarming rate,” McClinchey said.
He says researchers are still trying to fully understand what’s behind the decline.
“We have a problem with mussels in the Great Lakes, and we know that zebra and quagga mussels are contributing to the decline of whitefish populations,” he said.
“We don’t know yet if that is the only problem, or if that’s a major contributing factor.”
McClinchey says changes are being considered for sea lamprey control operations in southern Ontario.
“We are looking at expanding and trying to to establish a base that would help to cover some of the southern lakes, and that way it would allow us to do that more efficiently, to save a greater amount of fish, to save a greater amount of money, if you look at the economic value of that fish,” he said.
McClinchey added that outcomes from the conference will help shape priorities and actions over the next six months.