The Pacific Fishery Management Council agreed April 12 to move forward with a condensed set of research and data needs recommended by the Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC), and directed staff to incorporate edits and advisory‑body comments into a final list for adoption in June.

SSC work and rationale: Dr. Jason Schaffner (SSC) summarized the SSC’s effort to reduce a long, highly technical inventory into a manageable list of priorities that better aligns with agency planning. “Working towards a more stable and efficient process would be highly beneficial for future iterations,” the SSC said in its supplemental report.

What advisory bodies recommended: several advisory bodies supported the SSC’s condensed structure but proposed additions or clarifications. Advisory input included: keep and maintain core fishery‑dependent and fishery‑independent sampling programs; add habitat and spatial mapping priorities (high‑resolution bathymetry, habitat‑type rubrics) for groundfish; add ecosystem monitoring (including eDNA and citizen science); and prioritize methods to improve fishery‑impact projection models.

Council action: a motion from Council member Lynn Mattis adopted the SSC report as the council’s preliminary priorities and directed staff to incorporate advisory‑body edits into a consolidated document for final council adoption in June 2025.

Why it matters: the research and data needs list functions as the council’s guidance to science centers and agencies when they set research priorities and budgets. The council and SSC emphasized that maintaining core monitoring programs (e.g., port sampling, fish tickets, acoustic and trawl surveys) is a near‑term priority because flat or declining funding threatens essential data streams.

Ending: staff will provide a consolidated draft in June that incorporates the SSC list plus advisory‑body additions; the council will adopt a final list in June 2025 that staff and regional science centers may use when planning research priorities and budgets.