MNR Biologist Inducted into Muskies Canada Hall of Fame

At the 2010 Muskies Canada Board of Directors annual meeting, six individuals, including MNR senior fisheries biologist Steven Kerr, were inducted into the Hall of Fame. With the exception of Steve, all were prominent, long standing members of Muskies Canada. Muskies Canada Hall of Fame Award is the club’s most prestigious award bestowed to individual members who have outstanding dedication in: science, media and club development and promotion. These members receiving this award are nominated and voted in by their peers.

Muskies Canada Hall of Fame was created on the club’s 20th anniversary in 1998. The first five members to be inducted were Dr. Ed Crossman, Hedrik Wachelka, Bruce Park, Paul Gasbarino, and John Power. The second set of inductees took place in 2003 on the 25th anniversary of Muskies Canada. Those inductees included Dr. John Casselman, Burt Myers, Ian Smith, Mark Sauder, and Jim Kelly.

Steve has been working cooperatively with Muskies Canada for over twenty-five years. Some of these projects have included:
• Organized the “Managing Muskies in the 90s” workshop in 1995 and publishing workshop proceedings
• Chaired a government-NGO task team to develop standards and benchmarks for provincial size limit regulations for muskellunge.
• Solicited financial support for the “Know the Difference” sign campaign.
• Supported the thirty year volunteer angler diary program by providing angler logs, collating information and publishing results.
• Coordinated an MNR display at Musky Odyssey events which are held every two years.
• Served as MNR liason with MCI on projects including the restoration of muskellunge in Lake Simcoe and the Spanish River, muskellunge radio telemetry on the Rideau River, and guidelines for proper handling of large muskellunge.
• Written several articles on muskellunge management in Ontario which were published in the MCI’s Release Journal and Muskies Inc. magazine.