Technical Working Groups
WPacFIN is a member of numerous technical working groups and has its own planning, development, and management processes in place for insular fisheries data collections. The primary levels of interaction are outlined below.

  • NMFS Working Groups

    • As a federal NOAA/NMFS agency, PIFSC, represented by WPacFIN staff, participates in federal data management working groups to help implement federal requirements. The WPacFIN works closely with national colleagues on the NMFS Fisheries Information System (FIS) Working Group. FIS operates several Professional Specialty Groups where WPacFIN expertise plays an important role. Additionally, WPacFIN provides the annual submission to the Commercial Fisheries Statistics of the United States (FUS).


  • Pacific Islands Regional Working Groups & Technical Support

    • WPacFIN Central staff meet regularly with partner agency leadership and fisheries data collection staff to assist with planning the compilation and integration of data from each monitoring program. This frequent interaction allows technical support to resolve data management issues.


  • WPacFIN Grants Management & Technical Planning Meetings

    • Currently the WPacFIN grants planning meetings, technical meetings, and workshops fulfill the functions of the Fisheries Data Coordinating Committee (disbanded in 2015) by working to achieve technical goals related to common fisheries monitoring and reporting documents. These meetings are held as teleconferences, site visits, and occasional workshops to plan and communicate database and systems development needs in the territorial agencies.


  • Council Plan Teams & Advisory Bodies

    • WPacFIN serves on several planning teams coordinated by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council (the Council), including the Pelagics Plan Team (PPT), Fisheries Ecosystem Plan Team (FEPT), and Fishery Data Collection and Research Technical Subcommittee (FDCRTS). WPacFIN also provides data, upon request, to the Council’s Scientific & Statistical Committee (SSC). The Council’s plan teams and advisory bodies define data requirements for summary reporting and subsequent provision to the Council.