The virtual workshop, which occurred May 16-18, 2022, established long and short-term goals and prioritized 39 actionable projects to be completed in working groups. These projects, referred to as local projects (LPs) relate to the focus strategies of: establishment or improvement of data collection programs, standardization of analytical data provision, operationalizing data automation, enhancement of internal and external communications, and addressing funding insecurities and EBFM needs.
Long-term (First-level) Goals
- Improve data collection efforts
- Accurately analyze data
- Efficiently manage and automate data
- Enhance internal culture and communication
- Increase external collaboration and communication efforts
- Incorporate Ecosystem-Based Fisheries Management (EBFM) and socioeconomic impacts
- Address funding insecurities
Long-term (Second-Level) Goals and Local Projects
Publicly available deliverables are linked below
1. Improve Data Collection Efforts
a. Develop and implement fishery-dependent sampling and monitoring programs
LP09. Develop the plan to identify funding and resources needed to develop and implement recreational data collection programs for spiny lobster and queen conch
LP10. Develop the plan to identify funding and resources needed to develop and implement a survey for commercial port sampling to be run by the territories with SEFSC support and guidance
LP06. Make Shellcatch data available and accessible
LP28. Identify mechanisms to better leverage stakeholder local knowledge
b. Develop and implement fishery-independent surveys of priority species
LP12. Develop the plan to identify funding and resources needed to develop synoptic fishery-independent surveys to estimate abundance indices and size compositions for all exploited reef fishes, spiny lobster, and conch
c. Develop and implement environmental mapping and oceanographic data collection programs
LPXX. Organize a cooperative and coherent response to NOS request for survey recommendations
LP25. Identify funding to analyze the data
LP15. Identify those environmental data that are most promising to be informative for stock assessment and EBFM in the U.S. Caribbean
d. Develop and implement life history studies of priority species
LP11. Develop the plan to identify funding and resources needed to develop and implement life history studies to obtain reliable information for all exploited reef fish species, spiny lobster, and conch
LP32. Identify those genomics initiatives that are most promising for use in the U.S. Caribbean
2. Accurately analyze data
e. Operationalize Analytical Product Workflows
LP20. Document best practices for reproducible, standardized workflows
LP05. Identify regional data sources with emphasis on federal funding
Deliverable: Caribbean Research Inventory
LP19. Strategically organize access to past internal work
LP17. Perform gap analysis leveraging the Caribbean Research Inventory
LP16. Prioritize among research gaps
f. Operationalize Assessment Workflows
LP18. Test and validate approaches to manage stocks using data-limited approaches
LP36. Revisit and tailor SEDAR process to fit the needs of the Caribbean
LP34. Conduct a collaborative data/assessment/management scoping with FishPath
g. Conduct well aligned research to produce informed assessment inputs and methods
LP21. Identify the best practices for working openly and inclusively
3. Efficiently manage and automate data
h. Implement agile project management procedures
LP01. Train staff in desired project management tool
Deliverable: GitHub and Project Management Resources
i. Implement data automation procedures
LP23. Collaborate between the SEFSC Sustainable Fisheries Division Caribbean Fisheries Branch and Data Analysis & Assessment Support Branch on standardized length composition
LPXX. Review past data requests and develop roles and responsibilities between Alan’s branch and CFB
4. Enhance internal culture and communication
j. Effectively manage staff resources
LP13. Establish an effective coordination strategy among working groups, branches, divisions, other NMFS offices, and Caribbean partners
LP4. Pass Center-wide strategic initiatives to relevant Center objective owners
k. Invest time and resources into strategic planning for working groups, branches, divisions, and other NMFS offices
LP03. Year 2 strategic planning workshop to include SEFSC and regional partners
5. Increase external collaboration and communication efforts
l. Conduct collaborative science
LPXX. Form interdisciplinary research teams who collaborate from data collection to model development and review.. taking what’s been done for data flow diagram/Visio and modifying it to fit the Caribbean data flow and needs
LP27. Integrate Local Ecological Knowledge (LEK) and Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) in the research process
LP33. Collaborate with local universities to collect data and provide projects for students
m. Develop external communications strategy
LP14. Establish a protocol to have formal and informal communications with stakeholders in the language of their choice (e.g., Spanish translation)
Deliverable: Recommendations for Spanish Translation Services
n. Enhance education, communication, and outreach
LP02. Create a portfolio of who we are and what projects we work on
6. Incorporate Ecosystem-Based Fisheries Management (EBFM) and socioeconomic impacts
o. Develop a successful EBFM strategy that eliminates overfishing and overfished status on key species and considered the multispecies nature on fisheries
LPXX. Develop a robust sampling program to obtain monthly price/lb data by species and island, and expenditure data per trip by fleet
LP22. Complete the Caribbean Ecosystem Status Report
Deliverable: Caribbean ESR
LP30. Test stock assessment “alternatives” - e.g., management procedures, portfolio approach, to see if they can provide robust management advice
LP26. Address the issue of subsistence fishing and its impact on the health of the fisheries (especially inshore areas)
LP31. Establish an appropriate suite of existing fishery dependent indices to monitor key stocks, as well as ecosystem indicators and/or objectives
p. Build trust, rapport, and relationships with local stakeholder groups
LP29. Integrate key socio-economic information to inform the management process
7. Address funding insecurities
q. Develop a structure to identify and coordinate projects to better leverage limited funding
LP07. Identify internal sources of funding for US Caribbean stock assessment and EBFM
LP24. Create back pocket plans – we can expect emergencies or random funding so we should have plans in place to use these funds when they become available
LP08. Match ongoing and planned projects and funding programs to link funding sources to projects