Pacific Region Selects New Fisheries Program Leader
Long-time natural resources manager Michael Carrier has been appointed Assistant Regional Director for Fishery Resources in the Pacific Region of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Regional Director Robyn Thorson announced today.
Carrier is currently Coordinator of the North Pacific Landscape Conservation Cooperative, a partnership of state and federal agencies, tribes, universities and others stretching from southeast Alaska to northern California. He assumes his new position May 16 but will also continue his duties as the LCC’s coordinator until the end of May to ensure a smooth transition.
“This is a critical time for fisheries conservation,” Regional Director Thorson said, “and the Service and all our partners will benefit from Mike’s proven leadership skills and cooperative approaches.”
Carrier will lead the daily operation of the fisheries program and the implementation of its strategic plan. The fishery program is a network of 25 field stations with about 260 employees in the states of Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Hawaii. The network includes 15 national fish hatcheries producing approximately 60 million salmon and steelhead each year, three fish health centers, two fish and wildlife offices, three fisheries resources offices, the Service’s largest fish technology center and a Lower Snake River Compensation Program office. The Lower Snake Compensation Program office administers the production program and funds the operation of 26 state and tribal hatchery, research and fish health facilities using money generated by the Bonneville Power Administration's sale of hydroelectric power.
In addition, the regional fisheries program actively promotes fish habitat restoration and in FY 2010 reconnected over 125 miles of stream and reopened fish passage fish passage
Fish passage is the ability of fish or other aquatic species to move freely throughout their life to find food, reproduce, and complete their natural migration cycles. Millions of barriers to fish passage across the country are fragmenting habitat and leading to species declines. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's National Fish Passage Program is working to reconnect watersheds to benefit both wildlife and people.
Learn more about fish passage to 762 acres of estuary. It is a leader in the prevention, detection, and management of aquatic invasive species invasive species
An invasive species is any plant or animal that has spread or been introduced into a new area where they are, or could, cause harm to the environment, economy, or human, animal, or plant health. Their unwelcome presence can destroy ecosystems and cost millions of dollars.
Learn more about invasive species .
Carrier said he feels “immensely grateful” to be given the opportunity to lead the region’s fisheries program.
“The dedicated professionals of Fishery Resources reflect the finest values embodied by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,” Carrier said. “I am humbled and excited by the opportunity to join them as they provide leadership in habitat conservation and a viable fishery that enriches the lives of our citizens.”
During his time as Coordinator of the North Pacific Landscape Conservation Cooperative, Carrier focused on forging a major new regional natural resource partnership to address the impacts of climate change climate change
Climate change includes both global warming driven by human-induced emissions of greenhouse gases and the resulting large-scale shifts in weather patterns. Though there have been previous periods of climatic change, since the mid-20th century humans have had an unprecedented impact on Earth's climate system and caused change on a global scale.
Learn more about climate change across a large landscape. The value of building partnerships and maintaining a landscape-scale perspective will be central to his leadership of the fisheries program, Carrier said.
Prior to his job as coordinator of the cooperative, Carrier was Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski’s principal advisor on natural resource and environmental issues from 2004 to 2010. Before that he was Director of the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department for four years. Prior to moving to Oregon, he served in a variety of management positions for natural resource agencies in Iowa and Indiana.
Carrier has a Master’s degree in natural resources from Ball State University and Bachelor’s degree in Liberal Arts from Western Michigan University.
Master of Arts
He and his wife, Gayle, split their time between homes in Keizer, Oregon, and Boise, Idaho, where they have three children and three grandchildren. He enjoys fly fishing, hunting for upland game birds and spending time with his grandkids.
The Fisheries Program of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has played a vital role in conserving and managing fish and other aquatic resources since 1871, when Congress established the position of Commissioner of Fish and Fisheries in response to concern regarding the decline in natural food fish supplies. The Service has a proud history of leading Federal fishery conservation efforts along the West Coast since the first Federal salmon hatcheries were established more than 100 years ago. Throughout the years, the Service has taken a holistic approach to fishery conservation, focusing on a broad array of scientific fishery management and conservation efforts. Today, the Fisheries Program works with States, Native American Tribes, other governments, other Service programs, private organizations, public institutions, and stakeholders in a larger effort to conserve these important resources.
Carrier is currently Coordinator of the North Pacific Landscape Conservation Cooperative, a partnership of state and federal agencies, tribes, universities and others stretching from southeast Alaska to northern California. He assumes his new position May 16 but will also continue his duties as the LCC’s coordinator until the end of May to ensure a smooth transition.
“This is a critical time for fisheries conservation,” Regional Director Thorson said, “and the Service and all our partners will benefit from Mike’s proven leadership skills and cooperative approaches.”
Carrier will lead the daily operation of the fisheries program and the implementation of its strategic plan. The fishery program is a network of 25 field stations with about 260 employees in the states of Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Hawaii. The network includes 15 national fish hatcheries producing approximately 60 million salmon and steelhead each year, three fish health centers, two fish and wildlife offices, three fisheries resources offices, the Service’s largest fish technology center and a Lower Snake River Compensation Program office. The Lower Snake Compensation Program office administers the production program and funds the operation of 26 state and tribal hatchery, research and fish health facilities using money generated by the Bonneville Power Administration's sale of hydroelectric power.
In addition, the regional fisheries program actively promotes fish habitat restoration and in FY 2010 reconnected over 125 miles of stream and reopened fish passage fish passage
Fish passage is the ability of fish or other aquatic species to move freely throughout their life to find food, reproduce, and complete their natural migration cycles. Millions of barriers to fish passage across the country are fragmenting habitat and leading to species declines. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's National Fish Passage Program is working to reconnect watersheds to benefit both wildlife and people.
Learn more about fish passage to 762 acres of estuary. It is a leader in the prevention, detection, and management of aquatic invasive species invasive species
An invasive species is any plant or animal that has spread or been introduced into a new area where they are, or could, cause harm to the environment, economy, or human, animal, or plant health. Their unwelcome presence can destroy ecosystems and cost millions of dollars.
Learn more about invasive species .
Carrier said he feels “immensely grateful” to be given the opportunity to lead the region’s fisheries program.
“The dedicated professionals of Fishery Resources reflect the finest values embodied by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,” Carrier said. “I am humbled and excited by the opportunity to join them as they provide leadership in habitat conservation and a viable fishery that enriches the lives of our citizens.”
During his time as Coordinator of the North Pacific Landscape Conservation Cooperative, Carrier focused on forging a major new regional natural resource partnership to address the impacts of climate change climate change
Climate change includes both global warming driven by human-induced emissions of greenhouse gases and the resulting large-scale shifts in weather patterns. Though there have been previous periods of climatic change, since the mid-20th century humans have had an unprecedented impact on Earth's climate system and caused change on a global scale.
Learn more about climate change across a large landscape. The value of building partnerships and maintaining a landscape-scale perspective will be central to his leadership of the fisheries program, Carrier said.
Prior to his job as coordinator of the cooperative, Carrier was Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski’s principal advisor on natural resource and environmental issues from 2004 to 2010. Before that he was Director of the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department for four years. Prior to moving to Oregon, he served in a variety of management positions for natural resource agencies in Iowa and Indiana.
Carrier has a Master’s degree in natural resources from Ball State University and Bachelor’s degree in Liberal Arts from Western Michigan University.
Master of Arts
He and his wife, Gayle, split their time between homes in Keizer, Oregon, and Boise, Idaho, where they have three children and three grandchildren. He enjoys fly fishing, hunting for upland game birds and spending time with his grandkids.
The Fisheries Program of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has played a vital role in conserving and managing fish and other aquatic resources since 1871, when Congress established the position of Commissioner of Fish and Fisheries in response to concern regarding the decline in natural food fish supplies. The Service has a proud history of leading Federal fishery conservation efforts along the West Coast since the first Federal salmon hatcheries were established more than 100 years ago. Throughout the years, the Service has taken a holistic approach to fishery conservation, focusing on a broad array of scientific fishery management and conservation efforts. Today, the Fisheries Program works with States, Native American Tribes, other governments, other Service programs, private organizations, public institutions, and stakeholders in a larger effort to conserve these important resources.
