RESOLUTION FOR BOARD MEETING OF NOVEMBER 5, 2026
Title
RESOLUTION sponsored by the Board of Commissioners recognizing the 70th Anniversary of the Great Lakes Fishery Act of 1956
Body
WHEREAS, the Great Lakes Fishery Act of 1956 (“Act”) was enacted to implement the 1954 Convention on Great Lakes Fisheries between the United States and Canada, establishing a legal mandate for coordinated binational action to protect and restore the Great Lakes fisheries, including invasive species management and cooperative scientific research; and
WHEREAS, the Act formally created the framework for the United States Section of the Great Lakes Fishery Commission, providing for four U.S. Commissioners appointed by the President, and authorizing the federal government to engage in lamprey control work, acquire property for fishery restoration infrastructure, and coordinate management activities across federal, state, and tribal jurisdictions; and
WHEREAS, the Act and the Great Lakes Fishery Commission have secured one of the world’s most successful invasive-species suppression programs: the sea lamprey control initiative, which utilizes lampricides, barriers, and traps to dramatically reduce lamprey populations, restore ecological balance, and protect native fish species such as lake trout; and
WHEREAS, the Act laid the foundation for unprecedented binational cooperation in the Great Lakes region, transforming what had been a fragmented and inconsistent system of fishery management into a unified, science-based governance model that fosters collaboration among states, provinces, tribes, and federal agencies-cooperation that was historically elusive before the treaty’s adoption; and
WHEREAS, the Act’s creation of lake committees and cross-jurisdictional research structures has enabled the recovery of key commercial and recreational fisheries, including significant progress in lake trout restoration and enhanced protection of tribal fisheries essential to cultural and economic well-being across the region; and
WHEREAS, the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (“District”) benefits from the continued success of the Act and the Commission’s work, as healthy Great Lakes ecosystems support improved regional water quality, bolster aquatic habitat integrity downstream of District waterways, and align with the District’s longstanding mission to safeguard water resources and advance ecological resilience across the Chicago region; and
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that we, the Board of Commissioners of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago, commemorate the 70th Anniversary of the Great Lakes Fishery Act of 1956 and recognize its profound contributions to the ecological health, scientific advancement, and binational stewardship of the Great Lakes; and
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago appreciates the decades of public service by Dr. Marc Gaden who leads the Great Lakes Fishery Commission’s secretariat, and by Commission Chairman Earl Provost, who also serves as Ontario’s Agent General in Chicago; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that this resolution shall be spread upon the official record of proceedings of the Board of Commissioners of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago, and that a copy of same, suitably engrossed, be transmitted to the Great Lakes Fishery Commission in honor of this milestone.
Dated: November 5, 2026