The Council received a report from the Social Science Planning Team (SSPT) on their annual meeting. The SSPT meeting occurred on May 7- 9, 2019 at the Hilton Hotel in Anchorage. The group discussed the Data Gap Analysis, new and underrepresented research relevant to the North Pacific, the use of qualitative information in the fisheries management, Economic Data Reports including the Council’s recent actions to consider revisions to these data collections, as well as an update on the Fishery Ecosystem Plan action modules.
The Council encouraged further development of the Data Gap Analysis. The Council endorsed the SSC’s recommendation of considering and prioritizing analytical questions the Council has framed for past analyses, especially those highlighted by the SSC where there is a clear need for addressing uncertainty in potential impacts.
The Council supported the idea of the SSPT conducting a day long technical workshop focused on improvements to the EDRs. The Council encouraged the Team and the work done to improve the EDR process, to engage stakeholders, and incorporate stakeholder feedback. This workshop will likely be scheduled for late summer, with details to be posted on the SSPT webpage.
The SSPT’s next official meeting is an interim teleconference which will occur in November. The exact date and agenda for the meeting will also be forthcoming on the SSPT webpage. Among other topics, the SSPT hopes to further discuss the Data Gaps Analysis as well as receiving a presentation on qualitative methods from some of the SSPT members.
Staff contact is Sarah Marrinan.
