Issues

Marine Research in the North Pacific

Good management decisions require good science. The single best way to improve management of the North Pacific ecosystem is to expand the base of reliable information about how that ecosystem works. From meteorological data to baseline understanding of marine habitats and the life those habitats support, we need continued, expanded, and ongoing peer-reviewed research to better understand this complex ecosystem. The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act's National Standards* statutorily require management decisions be based on "best available science.".

The Marine Conservation Alliance (MCA) advocates improving scientific understanding through:

• Increasing government agency research budgets;
• Increasing private support for research;
  
• Focusing research on pressing management needs in addition to basic data collection;
  
• Publicizing important projects and new discoveries; and
  
• Building new collaborations among interested groups to further research;

MCA sponsors presently support a wide variety of research efforts and plan to do even more in the future. For example, over the past five years, MCA members have collectively contributed $5.2 million to sponsor 32 marine research projects at the University of Alaska, Alaska Pacific University and Sheldon Jackson College. MCA members also support initiatives such as the North Pacific Marine Science Foundation, which helps fund groundbreaking University research into the nature and cause of the decline of Steller sea lions and other marine mammals in the North Pacific.

The MCA supports applied, cooperative research involving partnerships between resource user groups and government managers. This includes making vessels available as research platforms and industry-sponsored programs for collection and use of real-time data from the fisheries. An example of the latter is the Bering Sea pollock fleet's Salmon Reduction and Avoidance Program, whereby real-time salmon bycatch "hotspot" information is collected and distributed to the active fleet on the fishing grounds. The fleet's also provide funding and platform availability to work in collaboration with NOAA Fisheries and the US Fish and Wildlife Service to develop and test salmon excluder and seabird avoidance gear.

MCA strongly supports the work of the North Pacific Research Board (NPRB) and our members participate in the NPRB planning process. The NPRB is currently working with the National Academy of Sciences on a long term marine research plan for the North Pacific. Members also participate in the Pribilof Island Collaborative, a coalition of islanders, environmental groups and fishing industry members working together towards a better understanding of northern fur seals, halibut, crab and seabirds.

* SEC.301 (a) (2) NATIONAL STANDARDS FOR FISHERY 16 U.S.C. 1851: "Conservation and management measures shall be based upon the best scientific information available."