Fisheries-Oceanography
Coordinated Investigations (FOCI)
FOCI PI Meeting Minutes - 11 December 1997
ATTENDANCE
Art Kendall, Jim Overland, Allen Macklin,
Bern Megrey, Ned Cokelet, Jim Schumacher, Phyllis Stabeno, Anne Hollowed,
Pat Livingston, Ric Brodeur, Kurt Zegowitz (rapporteur)
ANNOUNCEMENTS
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Next Monday and Tuesday’s SEBSCC PI meeting will convene
about 40 scientists, managers, advisors, and guests at the Battelle Seattle
Science Center.
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ARI round-two proposals are due next Monday, December
15.
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NMFS National Ecosystem Advisory Panel is meeting next
Monday and Tuesday, December 15-16, at the Meany Hotel. One of the topics
will concern how AFSC will incorporate the panel’s principles into stock
assessment.
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From Art Kendall - Ever since FOCI's data reports were
ended in 1993, cruise reports have been used to document the field seasons.
Inspection of cruise reports shows that too many are incomplete or inconsistent,
with missing maps, stations reports, etc. Jay Clark, Lisa Britt and Bill
Rugen are currently reviewing these cruise reports and trying to bring
them up to standard. Any Chief Scientists who filed these reports, please
cooperate with them during this process. It was noted that even though
cruise reports for the WECOMA are different than the MILLER FREEMAN’s,
there is still a need to provide a standard report for FOCI. This includes
making DSDB entries for all FOCI cruises, even ones conducted on the WECOMA.
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Jim Overland - FOCI should consider publishing a press
release on the Bering Sea ecosystem later this year. There is probably
no need to re-do "The anomalous summer of ‘97 in the Bering Sea," but there
may be other newsworthy ideas. Some examples are: response of the Bering
Sea to climate change and the need to conduct baseline research.
MEETING REPORTS
Bering Sea Ecosystem Workshop, Anchorage, December
4th and 5th
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Pat Livingston reported that the meeting went as planned,
presenting a federal and Alaska review of research and information available
for the Bering Sea. A report should be out within the next month, summarizing
the presentations and panel discussions. A full transcript will also be
available. It is not clear what the next step will be. An effort will be
made to organize the science planned there into a joint research plan.
Funds could become available by the year 2000.
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Bern Megrey - USGS proposed the need for data coordination/data
sets, a clearinghouse of information. It was recommended that the research
council adopt NOAA’s Bering Sea Biophysical Metadatabase, a project that
is already funded.
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It was agreed that FOCI needs to be pro-active about
Bering Sea research. The importance of compiling a science plan and providing
it to the Council in Alaska was stressed, to emphasize the important things
that need to be understood about the ecosystem. Although the membership
of the Council is currently not decided, it would be beneficial to have
this plan formulated as soon as possible. Jim Schumacher will take the
lead on establishing a working group.
FIELD SEASON
Shumagin age-0 pollock survey scheduled for next
June (W98-05): As charged at the last meeting, a committee consisting of
Ric Brodeur, Matt Wilson, Kevin Bailey and Allen Macklin developed a plan
to use eight days of WECOMA time during the end of June 1998. Ric Brodeur
reported that the committee recommended repetition of an age-0 pollock
survey last done in 1987, during the same time of year. It will be interesting
to see how things have changed since then in the Gulf of Alaska, and to
see if there are El Nino effects. The cruise will be from June 23 - July
1, 1998, leaving from Dutch Harbor. Methot trawls will be used primarily,
but there will be some gear comparisons, using Tucker trawls and bongo
tows. There will also be an opportunity for work along lines 16 and 17.
If an El Nino proposal is funded, additional work comprising 6-8 stations,
approximately 24 hours, will be included in this cruise plan.
NEXT MEETING
The next FOCI PI meeting will be held at 10 a.m.
on Thursday, January 8, 1998, in the AFSC Director's Conference Room, 4/2143.
CORRECTIONS
Please mail corrections and additions to
the FOCI Coordinator.
FOCI
Coordinator
MINUTES SELECTION
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