Database and software development are inextricably linked. Working cooperatively with island fisheries agency staff, WPacFIN supports existing and planned data collection programs, develops software to integrate data, incorporates new data collections as they arise, automates quality control processing, and produces summary reports to meet federal requirements for each island area. Working with our partners to plan and develop their databases helps improve data integration and allows data sharing across the region. Success in this arena makes it easier and more cost-effective to standardize data summaries to meet common requirements, as well as allowing for comparisons in analyses.

Data collections within each agency are supported by database software developed by WPacFIN, including:

• Creel Surveys (data entry, quality check, monitoring/tracking scheduled survey activity, summary of interviews and data by gear, location, time period and species, automated data expansion algorithms, etc.)
• Commercial Dealer Data (Vendor Purchases from Fisheries) (data entry, track invoices, quality check, editing, summary data). WPacFIN has also designed software to capture data directly from a dealer's invoicing system to help fishing industry partners provide their own data on fish sales, either directly to WPacFIN or through agency partners.
• Fisher-reported data (Hawaii only: data entry, quality checking, editing, cross-checking with dealer data, in-season quota/annual catch limit monitoring)
• Fisher-vessel-dealer tracking functions (e.g., fisher, dealer or vessel licensing, permitting or identification data)

Whether partnered with agencies, fish dealers, or fisheries, WPacFIN:

• Creates and maintains user-friendly software, tailored to the partner's needs
• Provides training and technical support to partner data providers
• Develops software to support data transfer to the agency or the centralized data warehouse
• Includes file transfer protocols (FTPs), import/export functions, data migration tools (translating data between different database platforms), data integration, summary programs, and other database support functions

While ensuring that older data systems are supported through a transition to more secure, user- friendly, functional systems, WPacFIN continues to provide support to assist agency and industry partners in designing systems to incorporate new and changing fisheries monitoring data.