Overview of Research Programs

The commission's science program supports Great Lakes fishery and sea lamprey research and its communication as directed by the Convention on Great Lake Fisheries, established between Canada and the United States in 1955. Commission-sponsored research is focused on meeting the information needs of the sea lamprey control program and on management aimed at achieving a healthy Great Lakes ecosystem. The commission’s research programs and themes are shaped and defined by the Strategic Vision, the Fish Community Objectives, and the Joint Strategic Plan for Management of Great Lakes Fisheries. 

The commission funds research conducted by scientific and technical personnel in universities, in private consulting firms,and in federal, provincial, and state agencies.

Communication of research findings involves sponsorship of symposia and the publication of research in various media.

Types of Research

• » Fishery Research Program – Supports research essential to achievement of a healthy Great Lakes ecosystem. Most projects are organized under theme areas and support the research priorities set forth by the lake committees.

   

• » Sea Lamprey Research Program – Funds research important to the sea lamprey control program.  High-priority research projects are those relevant to the theme areas of the Sea Lamprey Research Program.

   

• » Science Transfer Program – Funds projects that promote communication of information about Great Lakes ecosystems and their fish communities, sea lamprey control, and emerging ecological concepts and technologies to fishery researchers and managers, to governments, and to the public.

   

Great Lakes Acoustic Telemetry Observation System

The Great Lakes Acoustic Telemetry Observation System (GLATOS) is a network of researchers conducting acoustic telemetry projects on fish movement in the Laurentian Great Lakes. Additionally, GLATOS aims to foster the development of partnerships and cooperative project planning, and to extend the effective range of individual studies by providing a mechanism to share detection data among projects.