May 25, 2023
Rhinelander, WI– President Biden has appointed Kendra Wecker of Ohio to the Great Lakes Fishery Commission (Commission). Commissioner Kendra Wecker, an avid outdoor enthusiast who emphasizes the importance of wilderness, has spent her career working in conservation to protect the wildlife resources of Ohio. She currently serves as Chief of the Division of Wildlife for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR). Before that, Wecker served as Wildlife Diversity Coordinator and Information and Education Executive Administrator for ODNR. Wecker has also served as Legislative Chair of the Ohio Wildlife Management Association and served on the Board of Trustees for the Ohio Biological Survey. During her time with ODNR, Wecker received multiple awards including Wildlife Conservationist of the Year from the League of Ohio Sportsmen.
The Commission is a bi-national, treaty-based organization charged with cross-border collaboration in the interest of maximizing sustained productivity of fish stocks of shared concern between Canada and the United States. Commissioner Wecker will work with her American and Canadian colleagues to establish the Commission’s programs, identify priorities, and take other measures necessary to protect and maintain the $6 billion Great Lakes fishery.
Established in 1954 by the Convention on Great Lakes Fisheries, the Great Lakes Fishery Commission has three primary duties: to support fisheries research; control the invasive sea lamprey in the Great Lakes; and facilitate fishery management among provincial, state, U.S. tribal, and federal agencies, which it does through implementation of the consensus-based agreement, A Joint Strategic Plan for Management of Great Lakes Fisheries. The Commission consists of four Canadian commissioners appointed by the Privy Council of Canada, and four U.S. commissioners (plus one alternate) appointed by the President.
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