We are happy to provide you the 2008 Annual Report of NOAA Fisheries' Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center. The Center's research covers a wide range of scientific issues and topics requiring expertise in many disciplines. Our principal areas of research include coral reef ecosystems; marine ecosystem analysis and oceanography; fisheries biology; bycatch mitigation; fisheries monitoring and socioeconomics; and protected species population monitoring and research. Support programs within the Center ensure success of our science endeavors by providing help in administration and infrastructure, information technology and communications, and scientific information.
In 2008 we conducted our second external review of the Center's research, this time focused on our ecosystem research. The review provided critical insights into areas where we need to improve and where we can develop more fully. Information on this year's review, as well as the 2007 review, can be found on our Web site at http://www.pifsc.noaa.gov/do/reports.php. In 2009 we will be holding a similar review focused on our pelagic research.
We have a diverse and energetic staff from a broad range of scientific and technical specialties. We engage in research expeditions year-around throughout the central and western Pacific, including American Samoa, Hawaii, the Mariana Archipelago, and remote island areas in the mid-Pacific, and maintain extensive temporary field camps at remote islands and atolls in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. We are committed to the highest standards of scientific research and timely conservation and management advice.
We welcome your comments and thank you for your support.