From Modeling Endpoints to Fisheries Outcomes in the Great Lakes Basin

In 2009, the Great Lakes Basin Fish Habitat Partnership (FHP) was established as a recognized partnership under the National Fish Habitat Partnership (formerly National Fish Habitat Action Plan).  Since recognition as a partnership, habitat restoration efforts across the Great Lakes basin have been guided by the partnership's strategic plan, which was devleoped from a foundation of the various strategic and/or management planning documents in existence.  Current priorties for habitat restoration by the Great Lakes Basin FHP are focused on a subset of a larger suite of habitat stressors and threats, however, we lack an understanding of where, geographically across the landscape restoration efforts should be targeted to reach our ultimate goal of increased fish populations.  That is, until now.  Using the modeling endpoints for the 5 habitat models/response variables, along with the decision support tools developed from these models, we will be refining our strategic plan, to not only continue to identify priorty stressors as they relate to the current condition of tributary habitats across the basin, but also to prioritize geographic locations across the basin where protection and/or restoration sould take place.