Contacts
Rachel F. Levin, 612-713-5311
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today announced the granting
of $566,256 to fund fish and wildlife restoration projects in the Great Lakes
basin. The projects will be funded under authority of the Great Lakes Fish
and Wildlife Restoration Act of 1998, which provides assistance to the Great
Lakes Fishery Commission, States, Tribes and other interested entities to
encourage cooperative conservation, restoration and management of fish and
wildlife resources and their habitat in the Great Lakes basin.
The nine approved projects focus primarily on the rehabilitation
of sustainable fish populations and include the study of various species
of fish, their reproduction, distribution, movement, diet and habitat use
within the Great Lakes ecosystem.
For example, one project will examine the population dynamics
and biology of the siscowet strain of lake trout in Lake Superior; another
project will develop genetic management guidelines for lake sturgeon; another
will assess the status of aquatic habitat in the Lake Huron-Lake St. Clair-Lake
Erie corridor; and another will test a potential new method for treating
ballast water to prevent the transport of invasive aquatic species.
Project proposals are developed and sponsored by Tribes and
States in the Great Lakes region each year in response to a request for proposals
from the Great Lakes Fishery Commission and the Service. The Council of Lake
Committees, a 21-member body representing State, Tribal and Canadian Provincial
agencies, recommends proposals for funding to the Service Director.
Project funds will go to Michigan State University, the University
of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, the Great Lakes Fishery Commission, the University
of California-Davis, Ohio State University, the University of Maryland-Center
for Environmental Science and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.
The Service contributes up to 75 percent of the cost of the
projects, with matching funds this year coming from Michigan State University,
the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, the Great Lakes Fishery Commission,
the Michigan DNR, the Wisconsin DNR, Ohio State University, New York Department
of Environmental Conservation, the University of Maryland and the Ohio DNR.
“ The Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife Restoration Act provides
us with powerful and effective tools for the Service and its partners to
address the environmental challenges facing the Great Lakes,” said
Gerry Jackson, Assistant Regional Director for Fisheries for the Fish and
Wildlife Service’s Great Lakes-Big Rivers Region. “Through the
Act we can help strengthen fish and wildlife conservation programs in the
Great Lakes basin.”
When it was passed, the Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife Restoration
Act authorized $4.5 million annually for State and Tribal grants through
2004. Since 1998, 58 restoration projects totaling more than $5 million,
including $2.8 million in federal funds, have been implemented. More than
60 organizations have contributed matching funds and expertise.
Projects have focused on rehabilitation of fishery resources
and aquatic habitat to benefit species such as lake trout, walleye, yellow
perch, brook trout, lake sturgeon and freshwater mussels. One of the most
important outcomes of funded projects has been the development of state-of-the-art
geographic information systems that will eventually cover the entire Great
Lakes basin and allow agencies to better prioritize and focus restoration
activities.
The Act has been key in building partnerships among State,
Federal, Tribal and Provincial agencies for cooperative conservation, enhancement
and restoration of Great Lakes fish and wildlife resources, and their habitat.
It has fueled existing resource management partnerships coordinated through
the Great Lakes Fishery Commission and opened up new possibilities for international
coordination.
Project and funds recipients are:
· Dynamics and biology of siscowet lake trout in Lake
Superior--Michigan State University
· Lake trout reproduction at Mid-Lake Reef--University
of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
· Biophysical model of Lake Erie walleye recruitment--Michigan
State University
· Quality control of proposals--Great Lakes Fishery
Commission
· Development of genetic management guidelines for
lake sturgeon--University of California, Davis
· Huron-Erie corridor system habitat assessment--The
Ohio State University
· Food habits of Lake Ontario offshore prey fish--Great
Lakes Fishery Commission
· Evaluations of pilot-scale venturi oxygen stripping
to prevent ballast water invasions--University of Maryland Center for Environmental
Science
· Assessment of pit tags for estimating exploitation
of walleyes in Lake Erie and Saginaw Bay--Ohio Department of Natural Resources
Since 1871, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Fisheries Program
has played a vital role in conserving and managing native fish and other
aquatic resources. The Fisheries Program focuses its efforts on achieving
its long-term strategic vision of protecting the health of aquatic habitats,
restoring fish and other aquatic species, and providing opportunities for
the American public to enjoy the benefits of healthy aquatic resources. For
more information about the Fisheries Program, go to http://fisheries.fws.gov.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal federal
agency responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife
and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American
people. The Service manages the 95-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge
System, which encompasses 544 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small
wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 69 national
fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resources offices and 81 ecological services
field stations. The agency enforces federal wildlife laws, administers the
Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally
significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands,
and helps foreign and Native American tribal governments with their conservation
efforts. It also oversees the Federal Assistance program, which distributes
hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment
to state fish and wildlife agencies.
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