One of four concurrent Special Sessions at the upcoming 83^rd North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference in Norfolk, VA, will examine the impacts associated with wildlife crime and trafficking from multiple perspectives. This session, titled Fish and Wildlife Conservation in the 21st Century: How Poaching, Trafficking, and Illegal Trade are Endangering the North American Model for Wildlife Management, will address the perceptions and realities of the economic costs associated with illegal take and commercial trade of wildlife.

The Great Lakes contain 20 percent of all surface freshwater on the planet and comprise the world’s largest freshwater ecosystem. Invasive bighead, silver and black carp (collectively known as invasive Asian Carp) can significantly alter the Great Lakes ecosystem, affecting the $7 billion fishery, $16 billion boating industry and other tourism-based industries, property owners, recreationalists and others dependent on the Great Lakes and its tributaries. A study of options to reduce passage of carp at a key point below the Great Lakes Basin was released in August by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) with final decisions on the selected plan expected in the coming months.

Partners and staff of the five Landscape Conservation Cooperatives (LCCs) that span the northern latitudes in the Pacific Northwest, Alaska, and Canada met in Anchorage, Alaska November 1^st and 2^nd to develop a vision for collaborative conservation in view of declining federal support for LCCs. The meeting was convened by the Alaska Conservation Foundation and attended by 80 representatives from the Aleutian and Bering Sea Islands, Arctic, North Pacific, Northwest Boreal, and Western Alaska LCCs. Participants reflected on the accomplishments of the five LCCs over the past 6 years and explored ways to sustain this important collaboration. The representatives developed strategies for restructuring and broadening support for the LCCs given the Trump administration’s elimination of the Science Applications program from the proposed FY 18 and FY 19 budgets and uncertainty of congressional action on funding levels. Proposed actions include shifting lead responsibility for staffing LCCs from the Fish and Wildlife Service to other federal, state, tribal or nongovernment entities and engaging with foundations and industry to broaden financial support. In spite of the uncertainty surrounding federal support for LCCs, all parties renewed their shared commitment to continued collaboration.

In the U.S., the success of fish and wildlife management continues to be closely aligned to hunter and angler participation. License sales and taxes on hunting and fishing equipment provide vital revenue to state management agencies, and the vested interest of sportsmen and women provide crucial advocacy for conservation. Moreover, management objectives are often met under the direct stewardship of sportsmen and women. The dependence by management agencies on hunter and angler participation makes understanding what drives participation in outdoor recreation critical to conservation success. Researchers at the USGS Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit at the University of Nebraska—Lincoln, and the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission are working to understand the needs and interests of sportsmen and women to help ensure the legacy of fish and wildlife resources in the Cornhusker State.