The Western Governors’ Association hosted the webinar, Invasive Species Impacts on Fisheries on Wednesday, Jan. 16. Panelists discussed the impacts of invasive species on fisheries in the Pacific Northwest. Case studies examined the impacts and management challenges related to northern pike in Washington and Alaska and the effects of non-native predation of salmon.
This was the first webinar in a monthly series as part of the Western Governors’ Biosecurity and Invasive Species Initiative, the central policy initiative of WGA Chair Hawaii Gov. David Ige.
The webinar was moderated by Justin Bush, Executive Coordinator with the Washington Invasive Species Council. Panelists included Joe Maroney, Director of Fishery and Water Resources, Kalispel Tribe of Indians; Parker Bradley, Invasive Species Research Biologist, Alaska Department of Fish & Game; and Laura Robinson, Program Liaison Coordinator, Northwest Power & Conservation Council.
Highlights from the webinar:
“Predation of northern pike has really wide-reaching impacts. In the Columbia River Basin, over $1 billion has been invested in salmon recovery over the last two decades. This investment and the progress made towards recovery of those species are directly threatened if northern pike continue to spread downstream of the Columbia River and they begin to prey on salmon and steelhead.”- Justin Bush
“Managers local to the Columbia River Basin need to be concerned about what they’re going to do (about northern pike). It’s better to do something now than to do something later because the costs associated will be significantly less.” - Joe Maroney
For questions about sponsorship opportunities, please contact WGA Director of Development, Sarah Olsen at 720.897.4540 or [email protected]. To learn more about the Initiative, contact WGA Policy Advisor Bill Whitacre at 720.897.4538 or [email protected]. Get the latest news about the West and its governors by following the Western Governors' Association on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.
