Dec 162020
 

PacFIN Annual Meeting  – A “Virtual” Success 

The 2020 PacFIN Annual Meeting was conducted entirely online for the first time in its 40-year history! The two-day format, held on October 28th and 29th allowed for an expanded participation group outside of the Pacific Coast Fisheries Data Committee (PCFDC) core group to attend sessions selectively. The PacFIN team used a variety of applications to encourage member engagement in the virtual environment, including pre-meeting surveys (Google Forms), a live polling/interactive presentation software (Mentimeter), and a collaborative, digital whiteboard (Google Jamboard). In addition, the moderated chat feature in GoToMeeting allowed participants to queue questions and responses in real-time without interrupting the speakers. The participants had access to all of the meeting documents, including Partner Updates (summaries from each of the member agencies on collaborative work with PacFIN), presentations, and supporting documents via ShareFile. 

The agenda was structured around PacFIN workgroups that meet regularly throughout the year. The Data Management workgroup session reported on the status of the Biological Data System (BDS) redevelopment, the state of logbook data in PacFIN including the addition of fixed gear logbook data from the state of Oregon, and enhancements to the HMS logbook database. The PacFIN team also presented newly developed data acquisition methods, including a web API with WDFW, and enhancements to the web-based APEX upload application. The Groundfish workgroup utilized a list of project ideas from the Groundfish Management Team (GMT) survey for clarification and prioritization of development needs to better understand the project priorities for 2021 and what resources will be required for each project. The HMS workgroup kicked off an FIS-funded project to redevelop the SAFE report in the PacFIN APEX Reporting System, including updates to the fishery descriptions in the written report, using the Jamboard to collect ideas from the participants.  

Other presentations included: 

  • Erin Steiner and Niels Leuthold presenting on the federal COVID-19 response and the status of fisheries as affected by the pandemic. 
  • Future PacFIN product training and planning ideas with distributed sign-up sheets to gage interest. 
  • Liz Hellmers presenting on the CDFW Commercial Landings Data Improvement Procedure (COLA DIP). 
  • Theresa Tsou presenting on WDFW Species Composition Sampling development. 
  • Camille Kohler on PacFIN Communities/Socio-Economic reporting tools. 
  • Fishery Definitions, including the current state of fishery definitions, the Protected Resources List of Fisheries project and the FIS grant for Identifying Fishing Trips and Defining Fisheries, as presented by Rob Ames, Camille Kohler and Niels Leuthold respectively. 
  • Enforcement Solutions, including presentations by Yan Jiang on PacFIN APEX Reporting System development, Camille Kohler on the Enforcement Data Management Application (YODA) and Rob Ames on analytical products using the Vessel Monitoring System (VMS). 

Jenny Suter, Rob Ames, and Brad Stenberg hosted a post-meeting brainstorming session to advance new strategies for user documentation, using the COMPREHENSIVE_FT User Manual as the model for future redesign of all of the PacFIN Comprehensive User Manuals. A large group of participants stuck around to share ideas (and their favorite documentation-themed memes) on a Jamboard.

Thanks to all who participated to make this virtual event a resounding success! 

May 152020
 

Network updates were applied with minimal disruption to service. Please contact staff if you are experiencing any issues.

Mar 132020
 

Thank you for visiting the website.

The Pacific Fisheries Information Network (PacFIN) is a collaboration between member state and federal fishery agencies that supply the information needed to effectively manage fish stocks on the west coast of the United States. The data is stored, processed and disseminated by members of PacFIN staff. The member agencies include the Californian Department of Fish & Wildlife, Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife, Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission (PSMFC), and Pacific Fisheries Management Council (PFMC). More…

 

Jun 262019
 

The AKFIN, PacFIN and RecFIN databases will be unavailable from 10 pm until 11 pm on 06/26/2019 for system maintenance.

May 102019
 

NMFS has released the 2019 harvest specifications and allocations for Pacific whiting.

  • Tribal Allocation:                                77,251 mt
  • Research and Bycatch set-aside:       1,500 mt
  • Harvest Guideline (HG):                362,682 mt

Allocation of the HG are as follows :

  • Catcher/Processor Coop Program:      123,312 mt (34%)
  • Mothership Coop Program:                   87,044 mt (24%)
  • Shorebased IFQ Program:                    152,326.5 mt (42%)

The final rule will be published shortly. Docket information can be found at Link .