Sea Lamprey Control Board

Mission

 

SEA LAMPREY CONTROL BOARD

Terms of Reference – Amended April 2016

 

AREA OF CONCERN

 For deliberations of the Board, the area of concern is defined in Great Lakes Fishery Commission Convention:

 “This Convention shall apply to Lake Ontario (including the St. Lawrence River from Lake Ontario to the forty-fifth parallel of latitude), Lake Erie, Lake Huron (including Lake St. Clair), Lake Michigan, Lake Superior and their connecting waters, hereinafter referred to as "the Convention Area." This Convention shall also apply to the tributaries of each of the above waters to the extent necessary to investigate any stock of fish of common concern, the taking or habitat of which is confined predominantly to the Convention Area, and to eradicate or minimize the populations of the sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) in the Convention Area.”

 

PURPOSE AND RESPONSIBILITIES

 

To assist the commission in developing and implementing strategies and policies related to control of sea lamprey for management of Great Lakes fish communities.  Responsibilities of the Board are as follows:

  1. Integrate sea lamprey control operations consistent with Fish Community Objectives, objectives of the commission’s vision, and lake-specific sea lamprey control plans to suppress sea lamprey populations to target levels in each Great Lake.
  2. Provide expert peer review to develop sea lamprey control budget recommendations and strategic policy and tactical program recommendations, and communicate these recommendations to the commission.
  3. Coordinate implementation of policies adopted by the commission related to sea lamprey control through strategic and tactical recommendations and guidance provided to task forces.
  4. Recommend direction for research theme areas and specific research priorities to the Sea Lamprey Research Board and commission.
  5. Review plans for sea lamprey research proposed by the Sea Lamprey Research Board.
  6. Facilitate transfer of science from the sea lamprey research program to operational levels of the sea lamprey control program.
  7. Evaluate how sea lamprey control is implemented on each Great Lake and how sea lamprey control relates to A Joint Strategic Plan for Management of Great Lakes Fisheries.
  8. Assist with specific tasks when requested by the commission.


LIAISON WITH OTHER GROUPS

The Board will cooperate with appropriate boards, councils, and committees to ensure its activities are consistent with the goals of A Joint Strategic Plan for Management of Great Lakes Fisheries.

 

MEETING SCHEDULE

The Board will meet as often as needed, but will meet at least twice during the year prior to the commission’s Interim and Annual meetings.  The Board will review issues and develop options for consideration and possible action by the commission during its meetings.

 

MEMBERSHIP

The Board will consist of 10 members.  These members will include:

  • A Chair appointed by the commission from outside the Board membership or from within at its pleasure.  The Chair will provide leadership within the Board and will serve as liaison to the commission.
  • Three Lake or Lake Technical Committee members, at least one each from the U.S. and Canada, preferably with one from the upper Great Lakes (lakes Superior, Huron, and Michigan) and one from the lower Great Lakes (lakes Erie and Ontario), and one representing aboriginal interests.
  • Three biologists who are not members of a Lake Committee or employed in the sea lamprey control program, preferably one each from the U.S. and Canada, including two fishery biologists and one integrated pest management specialist.
  • The supervisor of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Marquette Biological Station (MBS) or the supervisor of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Ludington Biological Station (LBS) and the supervisor of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Sea Lamprey Control Centre. MBS and LBS station supervisors shall serve alternating two appointment terms.
  • One at-large member, not affiliated with the sea lamprey control program, skilled in finance and operations of natural resource programs.

Members of the Board are appointed by the commission.  Members will be appointed for 2-year terms with options for renewal. If during a term a member no longer meets the criteria for which they were appointed, commission secretariat staff, in consultation with the SLCB Chair, will determine a suitable replacement candidate for consideration by the commission at its next executive meeting.

 

DECISIONS

Decisions shall generally be made by consensus.  When the Board cannot reach consensus, a vote shall be taken and results of the vote, along with written concerns of members, will be described in the Board’s report to the commission.

 

REPORTING

The Board will report to the commission on matters relating to the sea lamprey control program.  The Chair will present an annual report of the Board’s activities to the commission.

 

SUB‑COMMITTEES

The Board may establish task forces and sub-committees to assist the Committee in meeting its responsibilities.

 

MEETING AND OTHER EXPENSES

The Board will have a budget to cover meetings.  Where special demands are made on a member's time or where travel and secretarial costs may be excessive from the viewpoint of a member's institution or agency, the commission secretariat may provide reimbursement to the member or the member's agency, as appropriate.

 

ROLE OF SECRETARIAT

The secretariat will assist the Board to achieve its objectives.  The secretariat will, on behalf of the Board, maintain communication linkages to appropriate committees, councils, and other boards that may be able to affect and assist in sea lamprey control efforts.  The secretariat may provide technical expertise and leadership for transfer of science to control agents.  The secretariat will also serve as liaison between the Board and commission by assisting with Board nominations, recording minutes, and providing meeting agendas, briefing books, and related materials.  The secretariat will arrange for meeting space.  Secretariat staff with responsibilities for sea lamprey control, science, and budgets will normally attend meetings, with flexibility to include any members who can provide material support to the Board.

 

DEFINITION OF SEA LAMPREY CONTROL

Sea lamprey control seeks to minimize mortality from sea lamprey attacks on fish stocks through:
(1) development and use of an array of environmentally acceptable control techniques;
(2) application of life history knowledge for sea lamprey and fish population biology and interactions;
(3) integration of sea lamprey control and fish management programs;
(4) suppression of sea lamprey to target levels in each Great Lake; and
(5) public relations, information, and education activities.

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