EcoFOCI Cruise Catalog
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AFSC:Alaska Fisheries Science Center. A research branch of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). It is responsible for the fisheries research in the coastal waters off Alaska and off parts of the west coast of the United States. The mission of the AFSC is to plan, develop, and manage scientific research programs which generate the best scientific data available for understanding, managing, and conserving the region's living marine resources and the environmental quality essential for their existence. Previously was part of the Northwest and Alaska Fisheries Center (NWAFC). (https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/region/alaska)
FOCI: Fisheries-Oceanography Coordinated Investigations. A collection of NOAA research programs attempting to understand the influence of biological and physical environment on the abundance of various commercially valuable fish and shellfish stocks in Alaskan waters and their role in the ecosystem. FOCI comprises a number of programs: Shelikof Strait FOCI, Bering Sea FOCI, and Southeast Bering Sea Carrying Capacity, Arctic Research Initiative, GLOBEC, and NSF Inner Front Study. Shelikof Strait FOCI and Bering Sea FOCI examine a specific species of fish, walleye pollock (Theragra chalcogramma), Southeast Bering Sea Carrying Capacity takes a broader view of the ecosystem of the southern Bering Sea shelf. Other programs address scientific themes that directly relate to FOCI research. Research is conducted by personnel at two NOAA laboratories in Seattle, Washington (the National Marine Fisheries Service's Alaska Fisheries Science Center and the Office of Oceanographic and Atmospheric Research's Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory), and by scientists at the University of Alaska and other academic and research institutes. (http://www.pmel.noaa.gov/foci/)
FOX: Fisheries Oceanography Experiment. This one-year study was a coordinated investigation by the Pacific Marine Environmental (PMEL) Laboratory and the Northwest and Alaska Fisheries Center (NWAFC). The goal was to study the biotic and abiotic environment of the early life stages of pollock (Gadus chalcogrammus). FOX provided the intial research for the long-term research program, Fisheries-Oceanography Coordinated Investigations (FOCI).
MARMAP: Marine Resources, Monitoring, Assessment and Prediction program. Begun in the mid 1970's, this NMFS-wide program was designed to uniformly collect data to be used for fisheries management. The data collected from this program were crucial to the ecosystems approaches later developed by the fishery management councils.
NMFS: National Marine Fisheries Service (renamed as NOAA Fisheries). The NOAA Fisheries strategic plan contains three goals: 1) Rebuild and maintain sustainable fisheries; 2)Promote the recovery of protected species; and 3) Protect and maintain the health of coastal marine habitats. (https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/)
NOAA: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The mission of this federal agency is to describe and predict changes in the Earth's environment, and conserve and wisely manage the Nation's coastal and marine resources. NOAA's strategy consists of seven interrelated Strategic Goals for environmental assessment, prediction and stewardship. (https://www.noaa.gov/)
NWAFC: Northwest and Alaska Fisheries Center. This agency previously was responsible for fisheries research in the coastal waters off Alaska and off parts of the west coast of the United States. It was divided into two separate agencies: the Alaska Fisheries Science center and the Northwest Fisheries Center. (https://www.nwfsc.noaa.gov/)
PMEL: Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory. Carries out interdisciplinary scientific investigations in oceanography, marine meteorology, and related subjects. PMEL programs focus on coastal and open ocean observations and modeling to improve the understanding of the physical and geochemical processes operating in the world oceans, to define the forcing functions and the processes driving ocean circulation and the global climate system, and to improve environmental forecasting capabilities and other supporting services for marine commerce and fisheries. (https://www.pmel.noaa.gov/)
SEBSECC: Southeastern Bering Sea Carrying Capacity. A NOAA Coastal Ocean Program Regional Ecosystem Study ad ministered by the University of Alaska, Alaska Fisheries Science Center, and Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory. SEBSCC's goal is to increase understanding of the southeastern Bering Sea ecosystem, to document the role of juvenile walleye pollock and factors that affect their survival, and to develop and test annual indices ofpre-recruit (age-1) pollock abundance. (1995-2004, site is no longer available)