The Great Lakes fisheries have suffered over a long period of time from over-exploitation, habitat destruction and the invasion of alien species, generally in the belief that the resource was inexhaustible and should be freely accessible. The decline of the Atlantic Salmon in Lake Ontario and of the sturgeon in Lake Erie was complete in the nineteenth century; dominant species today comprise fish which in earlier times were at the bottom of the value scale. Attempts to coordinate remedial action by governments around the Lakes failed until the sea lamprey invasion precipitated an international treaty in 1955 which set up the Great Lakes Fishery Commission. The GLFC and IJC are now exploring the possibility of cooperative programs, out of a larger common interest in environmental quality.
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