An Overview of the Degradation, Rehabilitation, and Management of the Fisheries in the Laurentian Great Lakes

This talk will serve as the introduction to, and provide the background for the symposium “Great Lakes Fisheries and Management and Policy: A Bi-national Perspective.”  The causes for the collapse of the fisheries in the Great Lakes will be reviewed including overharvest, habitat destruction, and the tremendous impact of invasive species, arriving primarily through canals constructed for shipping. The fishery management actions taken to rehabilitate Great Lakes fish populations will be outlined and the success of those actions will be evaluated.   To conclude, the current challenges facing Great Lakes fishery managers will be described.