Director’s Message – Progress with our Fish Commission Partners
Collaboration across the Commissions has grown significantly since 2020, strengthening our collective impact.
The USGS has long worked with the fisheries commissions across the Great Lakes, Atlantic, Pacific, and Gulf of America regions, although the depth of each relationship has varied. In 2020, USGS began efforts to cohesively strengthen these partnerships. In 2024, leaders from the USGS Great Lakes Science Center, Eastern Ecological Science Center, Wetland and Aquatic Science Center, Western Fisheries Research Center, and the overarching Ecosystem Mission Area met with leaders from all four commissions during the American Fisheries Society annual meeting. Together, we formalized the Interstate Fisheries Commissions – USGS Partnership, developed new coordination approaches, and identified shared science priorities that best align our joint strengths. The first symposium highlighting the research of the partnership also occurred at the 2024 American Fisheries Society meeting.
Check out the new article published in Fisheries Magazine and publicly available via the USGS for more information about the Partnership!
Flash forward to today. We are excited about the progress that’s been made. The relationship between the USGS and the Great Lakes Fishery Commission remains strong, codified by the Great Lakes Fishery Research Reauthorization Act of 2025. Further, more and more research is being executed via our partnership with the Pacific, Atlantic, and Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commissions.
Are you planning on attending this year’s American Fisheries Society annual meeting in Columbus, Ohio? Please consider joining our symposium on September 2nd as we dive into some of the specific research occurring via the partnership! Presentations cover areas including habitat restoration science, population and ecosystem assessments, innovative technology, and invasive species and emerging disease science.