Steve Leathery of NOAA will discuss walleye fishing in the Potomac.

• Where: McLean Community Center – Stedman Room, 1234 Ingleside Ave, McLean, VA 22101
• When: January 27, 2016 at 7:30 pm (doors open at 7:00 for socializing)

Some of the best walleye spots are only a few miles from our meeting place in McLean, and Steve will be happy to tell us where and when to fish. According to Steve, walleye are a very interesting and mysterious fish, and he has only ever caught them or seen them caught in certain places under certain conditions. Steve will discuss seasonal timing of spawning and availability of fish to fishermen, gear, techniques, and shoreline fishing locations.

About Steve

Steve Leathery assumed the position of NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Coordinator in the fall of 2007. In his current position Steve advises NMFS leadership and works on numerous and varied NEPA and environmental compliance issues, including work with the fishery management councils to revise and update agency NEPA procedures under the Magnuson-Stevens Act, updating the NOAA NEPA Administrative Order, and working on a wide range of NEPA actions in support of fishery management, habitat conservation and restoration, and conservation and management of marine mammals and species listed under the Endangered Species Act.

Steve has worked in a number of positions for the NOAA Fisheries Service the past 18 years. He was the former Chief of the Protected Resources Permitting Division that issues scientific research permits under the Endangered Species Act and Marine Mammal Protection Act, and incidental take authorizations under the MMPA. In addition, Steve served on a 15-month detail from NOAA to the U.S House of Representatives on the Natural Resources Committee during 2001 to 2002 to work on Magnuson Act reauthorization, and a 3-month detail in late 2002 working in the NOAA Office of Legislative Affairs.

Prior to working at NOAA, Steve worked for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at Patuxent Wildlife Research Center in Laurel, MD, from 1977 to 1985 and the Smithsonian Institution National Zoo Conservation and Research Center in Front Royal, VA, from 1985 to 1997. In both those positions he worked hands-on as an aviculturist, animal keeper and bio-technician with numerous native bird, mammal and other exotic wildlife species, including whooping cranes, bald eagles, Andean condors, many types of parrots and waterfowl, Pacific Island birds, black-footed ferrets, and clouded leopards.

Steve lives with his family in Jefferson, MD, and frequently paddles white water kayaks on the Potomac near Great Falls and the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers near Harpers Ferry, WV. Steve has fished the Potomac for smallmouth since he was a child and has fished for Potomac walleye ever since he caught his first one in the early 1980s. He is also an avid light tackle tidewater angler and recreational crabber.