TROY,
MI—The Hon. Ethan Baker, Mayor of Troy, Michigan, assumed the chairmanship this week of the Great Lakes Fishery Commission, a Canada-U.S. treaty-based organization. Commissioners are responsible for fostering bilateral relationships between Canada and the United States to implement a treaty called the Convention on Great Lakes Fisheries of 1954. The Great Lakes fishery, valued at nearly $6 Billion annually to the people of the region, requires careful and collaborative cross-border management if the economic value is to be sustained. Chair Baker is responsible for ensuring that this bilateral relationship thrives. He is only the third Michigander to chair the commission since the organization was founded in 1954.
The 1954 convention directs the commission to facilitate
fishery management among the jurisdictions, conduct and coordinate a science
program, and implement a comprehensive program to control invasive sea
lampreys. U.S. Commissioners are appointed by the President of the United
States and Canadian Commissioners are appointed by Privy Council. The chair and
vice-chair positions rotate between countries every two years.
“Although the commission is made up of commissioners from various locations throughout Canada and the United States, it was created and stationed in Michigan—the only jurisdiction in the basin to have management authority on four of the five Great Lakes,” said commission vice-chair Jim McKane, a commissioner from Canada. “Chairman Baker arrived during a unique time in the commission’s history, working through challenges caused by the pandemic and ongoing governance issues in Canada, but he hit the ground running and quickly assumed a leadership position as the vice-chair. Now as chair, I am confident he will lead the commission with the same inquisitive, determined, and poised demeanor he has demonstrated thus far.”
Before his appointment to the commission in 2021, Mr. Baker was elected as Troy’s mayor in 2019 and has a long history of public service. He is known for his dedication to community development and to creating safe, community-centered neighborhoods. Re-elected as mayor of Troy in November 2023, Mr. Baker remains steadfast in his commitment to community involvement. In addition, Mr. Baker is an attorney who specializes in elder law, estate planning, business law, and real estate. He received the 2016 Oakland County Executive Elite 40 Under 40 Award and is an advisory board member of the U.S. Conference of Mayors—a non-partisan organization of over 1,400 cities with populations of 30,000 people or more.
“The Great Lakes are binational treasures and are the major reason why people choose to work and live in this region,” said Baker. “The commission and its programs are pivotal to the success of the Great Lakes fishery and the hundreds of communities that rely on this incredible resource for employment, sustenance, and recreation. The Great Lakes represent the largest body of freshwater on the planet, and I am honored to have the opportunity to chair a commission that works to protect and improve the $6 billion fishery.”
Mayor Baker holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from University of Southern California; a juris doctorate from Whittier College School of Law, graduating magna cum laude; and a master of public affairs from the University of Michigan Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy.
Mayor Baker is only the third commissioner from Michigan
to chair the Great Lakes Fishery Commission. The first chair was Mr. Claude Ver
Duin, former Mayor of Grand Haven, Michigan, and the second was Dr. Bill
Taylor, the alternate U.S. Commissioner from East Lansing, Michigan, who served
as chair during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The
Great Lakes Fishery Commission is an international organization established by
the United States and Canada through the 1954 Convention on Great Lakes
Fisheries. The commission has the responsibility to support fisheries research,
control the invasive sea lamprey in the Great Lakes, and facilitate
implementation of A Joint Strategic Plan for Management of Great Lakes
Fisheries, a provincial, state, and tribal fisheries management agreement.
Pictured: Chair Ethan Baker speaking on a topic during the commission’s interim meeting while Commissioner Earl Provost (left) and Commissioner Jim McCain (center left) listen intently. (R. Shaw, GLFC)
