The SSC held a workshop to discuss how it could improve the process of identifying and updating research priorities for the Council, concluding that it would be more effective to evaluate research needs within the context of a larger strategic plan. The SSC noted that the current research priority process is cumbersome and does not contribute to a clear sense of priorities among the various projects. Several NMFS scientists from the Alaska Fishery Science Center (AFSC) and on the Council’s Groundfish and Crab Plan Teams actively participated in the discussion through presentations on a wide range of emerging and ongoing research needs. The SSC will continue to develop a plan for review that will include tactical approaches for achieving strategic research goals and evaluating tradeoffs between competing research needs such as ongoing resource surveys and new research initiatives. A proposal for developing a clear strategic research plan will be reviewed when the SSC takes up its comprehensive review of research priorities at the April 2020 meeting.
Staff contact is Jim Armstrong.
