Fisheries-Oceanography Coordinated Investigations (FOCI)

ATTENDANCE

Art Kendall, Jim Overland, Allen Macklin, Bern Megrey, Ned Cokelet, Jim Schumacher, Phyllis Stabeno, Anne Hollowed, Pat Livingston, Ric Brodeur, Kurt Zegowitz (rapporteur)

• Next Monday and Tuesday’s SEBSCC PI meeting will convene about 40 scientists, managers, advisors, and guests at the Battelle Seattle Science Center.

• ARI round-two proposals are due next Monday, December 15.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

Please mail corrections and additions to the FOCI Coordinator.

U.S. Dept. of Commerce / NOAA / OAR / ERL / PMEL