 |     | |
|
Council of Great Lakes Fisheries Agencies
Created by the parties to the Joint Strategic Plan for Management of Great Lakes Fisheries, the Council of Great Lakes Fishery Agencies is to be “keeper of the Plan”, that is, to ensure accountability, implementation and periodic review of the Plan, and to provide guidance and support to the Plan’s institutional arrangements
Members
Doug Stang, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Chairman
Mike Morencie, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, Vice Chairman
Kelley Smith, Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Environment
Michele Wheatley, Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Steve Pallo, Illinois Department of Natural Resources
Leon Carl, U.S. Geological Survey, Biological Resources Division
Tom Gorenflo, Chippewa-Ottawa Resource Authority
Leroy Young, Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission
Ray Petering, Ohio Department of Natural Resources
Stuart Shipman, Indiana Department of Natural Resources
Neil Kmiecik, Great Lakes Indian Fish & Wildlife Commission
Mike Staggs, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Mike Weimer, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Sandra George, Environment Canada
Paul Horvatin, U. S. Environmental Protection Agency
Dirk Peterson, MN Dept of Natural Resources
Publications and Products
Press Releases- May 27, 1997: Landmark Great Lakes Fisheries Management Plan to be Signed in Ottawa (News Release)
- January 10, 1997: Agencies Review Joint Strategic Plan for Management of Great Lakes Fisheries (News Release)
Reference on Ballast Water Management
Terms of Reference
The following terms of reference were adopted by the Council on 13 November 1997. They were presented to the Great Lakes Fishery Commission on 2 December 1997. Any revisions to the terms should be made only with the consent of the Council and approval of the Commission.
COMMITTEE NAME
Council of Great Lakes Fishery Agencies
AREA OF CONCERN
Lake Ontario (including the St. Lawrence River from Lake
Ontario to the 45th parallel of latitude), Lake Erie, Lake
Huron (including Lake St. Clair), Lake Michigan, Lake
Superior and their connecting waters.
Tributaries of the above waters to the extent necessary to protect, manage, or investigate any stock of fish of common concern, the taking or habitat of which is confined predominantly to the above waters.
COMMITTEE PURPOSE
The Council of Great Lakes Fishery Agencies was created in
A Joint Strategic Plan for Management of Great Lakes
Fisheries. It replaced the Committee of the Whole,
Operations Subcommittee, and consists of representatives
to the Plan, i.e., signatories. The primary responsibility
of this new committee is to guide and support the process
of implementing the Plan. In doing so, the Council will
consider issues pertinent to, or referred by the Great
Lakes Fishery Commission. Likewise, the Council will
probably develop issues or recommendations for referral to
other organizations, as well as the Commission.
Resolutions of the Council may also be implemented under
the authority of represented agencies. The Council is not
to duplicate the tasks of other management committees, but
rather to reinforce, add value, and support them.
- To ensure mutual accountability of the Parties to
the plan. The mechanism for doing so will involve periodic
review of the process of implementation of the
strategies in the plan and the appropriateness of the
plan as needed. This may also involve consultation
with regard to management issues. As was done in 1978,
1985, and 1995, the Council will be responsible for
initiating discussions that that could lead to further
enhancement or refinement of the Plan.
- To provide guidance and support to the Plan's
institutional arrangements. Parties to the
Plan anticipate that other committees may encounter
circumstances in executing the Plan that that would
require the assistance of the Council. While not
duplicating the efforts of other committees, the
Council may provide assistance to them such as
administrative guidance and advocacy.
- To encourage and support timely and effective
information exchange between fishery law enforcement
agencies and fishery managers. The Council
can play an important role in facilitating meaningful
dialogue between enforcement and fishery management
entities, through facilitating a framework for
information exchange and coordination to address the
priorities and problems related to Great Lakes fishery
management.
- To ensure that environmental objectives are
articulated and reciprocal strategies with
environmental agencies are developed. The
Plan's strategic procedures #6 and #8 recognize the
importance of the cooperation between fisheries and
environmental agencies and charged the Council) to
foster development of new cooperative arrangements. To
that end, the Council will promote collaboration
between fish and environmental management, and
representatives of environmental agencies have been
sought to serve on the Council as non-voting members.
- To represent fishery interests to the most
appropriate body or process on unresolved or emerging
environmental issues which may be referred to the
Council by Lake Committees or the Council of Lake
Committees. The Council recognizes that many
of the environmental issues may span across individual
lakes. It will be important for the Council to
recognize such issues and work to focus the
appropriate agency resources on them.
- To inform and educate on a basin-wide
perspective, including the development and
implementation of a strategic communications framework
that details the roles and responsibilities of the
Parties and the Great Lakes Fishery Commission.
There is great potential for the Council to enhance
the individual efforts of the Great Lakes agencies to
inform the public by communicating about the plan and
supporting coordinated efforts to identify and
communicate important messages that need to be
presented consistently.
COUNCIL OPERATION PROTOCOLS
An essential feature of the plan is that decisions by the
parties be arrived at by consensus. Definitions of
consensus can be found in the plan's text and appendix.
Consensus, therefore, is the mechanism for decision-making
of the Council. If consensus cannot be achieved, the
concerns of all members shall be described in minutes and
in the Council report to the Commission.
The Council and the Commission will cooperatively determine the appropriate mechanisms for Commission support of the Council. Through 1999 the Council will function as a management committee of the Commission, at which time, the arrangement will be evaluated by the Council and the Commission and a decision made re the future Council relationship with the Great Lakes Fishery Commission.
The Council will decide protocol for operations, establish operational procedures for internal committees, develop meeting agenda, and guidelines for electing officers, if not covered in terms as reference as follows:
MEETING SCHEDULE
The Council shall meet at least twice annually. One
meeting shall be in conjunction with annual meetings of
the Great Lakes Fishery Commission (to be reviewed in
1999). Additional Council meetings may be convened by the
Council Chair to address special items of concern.
MEMBERSHIP
Each Party to the Plan will have representation on the
Council. Each Party will be asked to name one member ,
such as its fish chief or functional equivalent. Although
a Party may send additional delegates to the meetings, the
member will be the spokesperson for the Party in the
development of a consensus decision. Members should be
knowledgeable about issues under discussion, or bring
staff that can assist
The Council will provide for non-Party participation by Environment Canada, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the International Joint Commission, and other agencies as appropriate. Non-Party participants or members are expected to participate in discussion, bring relevant information, speak for their agencies, and to play an active role in the development of consensus. However, non-Party participant assent is not a prerequisite for and non-Party dissent may not block the Parties' consensus
OFFICERS
The Council will, at meetings occurring in odd-numbered
years, elect a Chair and Vice-Chair for 2-year terms from
among signatory members. One of the officers is to be from
the United States and the other from Canada.
ROLE OF SECRETARIAT
The Commission's secretariat provides liaison between
Council and Commission, by assisting the Council in the
development and distribution of meeting agenda and
minutes, and the preparation of briefing materials,
reports, and communications as required. The secretariat
also assists in making (local) meeting arrangements.
SUBCOMMITTEES AND ADVISORS
The Council may, as it deems necessary, establish
subcommittees or seek advisors to inform or to undertake
Council business.
REPORTING
Consensus decisions will be recorded appropriately, e.g.
meeting minutes. The Council will report during the
Commission's annual meetings and as appropriate.
Photo: American Fisheries Society