Prime Minister Mark Carney has appointed Dr. Steven Cooke of Ottawa to the Great Lakes Fishery Commission.
Cooke, a professor at Carleton University, will serve as one of four Canadian commissioners on the bi-national body, which was created in 1954 to help protect and manage the $5.1 billion Great Lakes fishery.
The commission supports fisheries research, controls invasive sea lamprey, and co-ordinates fishery management among provincial, state, tribal and federal agencies.
Commissioner Earl Provost, chair of the Canadian section, says commissioners play a key leadership role across the basin.
"Serving on this binational, treaty-based commission calls for a strong commitment to collaborative resource management, an understanding of how science informs policy, and steady, diplomatic engagement," Provost said.
Cooke has previously chaired the commission’s Sea Lamprey Research Board and currently serves as Chair of its Board of Technical Experts.
In a statement, Cooke said, "The Commission and its partners have done so much to advance the restoration of native fish populations, including the maintenance of a long-term sea lamprey control program. I am excited to see what we can accomplish together during my term as a Commissioner."
Provost added he is confident Cooke will help the commission continue to fulfill its treaty obligations.
