As the Great Lakes Fishery Commission’s Fishery Management Program Director, John Dettmers is responsible for ensuring the Joint Strategic Plan for Management of Great Lakes Fisheries is carried out concordantly. This function is essential to existence of the Great Lakes fishery, including the anadromous sport fishery.

John oversees the work conducted by fishery managers from all jurisdictions who meet on a regular basis and reach consensus on management decisions.  These shared decisions are done through the Joint Strategic Plan’s “Lake Committee” process.  He is charged with making sure management decisions are based on science and input from the technical committees, take the needs and goals of stakeholders into account, and will lead to sustained and improved fisheries, including anadromous fisheries.  He was pivotal in helping the jurisdictions reach consensus on fishery management decisions related to Pacific salmon stocking reductions in Lake Michigan.  The forage base for Chinook salmon (alewife) reached historic lows in recent years and fishery managers needed to respond.  The result was reflective of forage base realities and consensus based.

John is responsible for ensuring that forage base assessment work is carried out regularly which is the foundation for fishery management decisions, including decisions related to anadromous fish.  John leads a “connectivity” initiative for the Great Lakes Fishery Commission, which aims to open up more streams (where appropriate) to anadromous fish.  Dams, culverts, and other obstructions throughout the Great Lakes basin, inhibit anadromous fisheries, by definition.  John is working with scientists, policy makers, and NGOs to create more connectivity throughout the basin, thus opening up more habitat for fish.  John does this work while keeping the paramount need to block sea lampreys in mind.

John co-chairs the Asian Carp Regional Coordinating Committees’ Monitoring and Response Work Group, which protects all Great Lakes fish (anadromous or otherwise) from an Asian carp invasion.  This work, though not the end solution that is needed, is, nevertheless, essential until that solution can be achieved.  Without John’s work, hundreds of thousands of tons of Asian carp would be in the system, threatening the Great Lakes.

John Dettmers accomplishments and his dedication and leadership make him a deserving awardee or the Dr. Howard Tanner Award.