Great Lakes Fishery Commission Honors Ed Makauskas for His Contributions to Great Lakes Partnerships

Makauskas, a Chicago-area sport fisherman, presented with the prestigious
Buzz Besadny Award for Fostering Great Lakes Partnerships

ANN ARBOR, MI—The Great Lakes Fishery Commission this month presented Chicago’s Ed Makauskas, chairman of the commission’s Committee of Advisors, with the Buzz Besadny Award for Fostering Great Lakes Partnerships.  The award, which is presented annually by the commission, recognized Mr. Makauskas’s dedicated service to the Committee of Advisors, his work to advance the commission’s sea lamprey control program, and his overall passion for the health of the Great Lakes fishery.

Mr. Makauskas, a lifelong sport fisherman on Lake Michigan, has served as an advisor to the commission since 1980 and as chairman of the committee since 1999.  Ed is the past president of Salmon Unlimited in Chicago and served as a delegate to the Conservation Congress in Illinois for 2000.  He is also a member of the DNR’s  ad hoc committee on commercial fishing, a member of the citizen advisory committee to the Jake Wolf Hatchery in Illinois, and is a member of Trollers Unlimited.

“Ed has demonstrated time and again that the Great Lakes fishery is valuable and worth protecting,” said Chicago Alderman Bernie Hansen, chairman of the Great Lakes Fishery Commission.  “His input is always thoughtful and he represents the sportfishing community well.  He is not afraid to disagree, and when he does, he is known to work toward solutions in a cooperative, collaborative and consistent way.  The commission, the Committee of Advisors, and the Great Lakes community are indebted to Ed for his commitment.”  

Hansen added:  “In presenting this award to Ed Makauskas, the Great Lakes Fishery Commission applauded his work in bringing a strong commitment to cooperation in the Great Lakes.”

The Buzz Besadny Award for Fostering Great Lakes Partnerships is presented by the Great Lakes Fishery Commission to recognize an individual or group who exemplify extraordinary commitment to building strong and lasting partnerships in Great Lakes resource management. Mr. Besadny, the former director of the Wisconsin DNR and former chairman of the Great Lakes Fishery Commission, set the standard for cooperation and statesmanship in the Great Lakes.  Buzz Besadny’s commitment to the Great Lakes through research, cooperation, diplomacy, and absolute respect for the resource inspired a generation of managers.  The Buzz Besadny award recognizes those who took laudable action to foster the partnerships that are so valuable to our common endeavor.

The Great Lakes Fishery Commission is an international organization established by the governments of the United States and Canada through the 1955 Convention on Great Lakes Fisheries.  The Commission has the responsibility to coordinate fisheries research, control sea lampreys, and facilitate implementation of the Joint Strategic Plan for Management of Great Lakes Fisheries. For more information about the Commission and its programs, visit www.glfc.org on the Internet or call Marc Gaden at 734-662-3209, x. 14.