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Northwest Fisheries Science Center Annual Guidance Memorandum Fiscal Year 2017

October 2016 U.S. Department of Commerce National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association National Marine Fisheries Service Northwest Fisheries Science Center

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“Wearethenation’sEnvironmentalIntelligenceAgency.Weprovidetimely,actionableandreliableinformation,groundedin

authoritativesciencethatisorientedtowardreal-world

questionsconfrontingfamilies,businesses,

communities,andnations.”

-Dr.Sullivan

October2016

NorthwestFisheriesScienceCenter

AnnualGuidanceMemorandumforFiscalYear(FY)17

Purpose

This Annual Guidance Memo (AGM) outlines our priorities in FiscalYear2017(FY17)toimplementour2013strategicplanusingscientificmeritandmanagementneedastheprimaryfactorsinprioritizingourfutureactivities. It isour responsibility toallocateour resources inaway that meets the nation’s and region’s highest scientific andmanagement needs following congressional and agency direction.This AGM outlines how we will accomplish this in FY17 and helpsposition the Center for future (1–2 years) challenges andopportunities.

AgencyandRegionalContext

In the last twoyears,wehaveexperiencedanomalouslywarmwater conditions in thePacificOcean,which somehavecalleda“climate stress test”on theWestCoast,andwhichothers consideradressrehearsal for conditions likely under climate change. Communities across the country are becomingmore vulnerable to severe events. To limit the impacts of these events, NOAA provides theenvironmental intelligence that communities need to ensure preparedness and resilience, allowingcommunities,economicsectors,andindividualstoavoid,minimizeormitigateimpactsandrecoverfromevents more quickly. To helpmeet these needs, NOAA Fisheries will continue to pursue ecosystem-based management in the delivery of information and services under our responsibility. It is anintegrated approach that incorporates the entire ecosystem, including humans, into resourcemanagement decisions, responds to a changing marine climate, and is guided by an adaptivemanagementapproach.The priorities for NOAA Fisheries in FY17 continue to emphasize our core mandates to sustain theNation’s marine fisheries1 and to conserve and recover protected species. All other activities andprograms serve these two core responsibilities. Tomeet its stewardship goals,NOAA Fisheries needs

1Theterm“fisheries”encompasseswildcapture,marineaquaculture,andrecreationalfishing.

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high-qualitysciencethatmeetstheneedsofitsmanagersandstakeholdersinatimelyfashion.InFY17,the main science initiatives for NOAA Fisheries include: improved climate advice through theimplementationofregionalactionplansimplementingtheagency’sClimateScienceStrategy,increasedunderstandingofecosystemprocessesleadingtonewtoolstoimplementanecosystem-basedfisheriesmanagementpolicyandroadmap,developmentofscience-basedtoolstosupportsustainabledomesticmarineaquaculture,andcontinuedimprovementoffisheriesstockassessmentmethodsundertheNextGeneration Stock Assessment Framework. NOAA Fisheries has also placed greater focus on keyprotected species, including Southern Resident killer whales, through its “Species in the Spotlight”initiative.Our ongoing scientific program reviews and recent peer reviews of our surveys, groundfish stockassessments,protectedspecies,andecosystemsciencealso influenceselectionofannualprioritiesforthe NWFSC. In FY16, we completed reviews of science supporting an ecosystem approach tomanagementandparticipatedinthenationalreviewofaquaculturescience.Bothreviewswerepositiveandprovidedconstructivefeedbackandrecommendationsforfuturedirections.Theecosystemsciencepanel’s report was particularly positive about the quality of the science and the extent of NWFSC’snational and international leadership. The aquaculture review panel was impressed with NWFSCresearchandnoteditshighvaluetothemarineaquacultureindustryinthePacificNorthwest.

The Pacific Northwest continues to experience ecosystem-level effects from the remnants of theanomalouswarming in the easternNorthPacific (“theblob”) and a subsequent significant ElNiño. ElNiñoconditionshavesubsided,butweareseeingwarmer-than-normalseasurfacetemperaturesagain.TheWest Coast will continue to experience substantive climate variability, and is likely experiencingsome effects of ocean acidification and increased temperature. There is increased concern about asignificantrise in largewhaleentanglementswithfishinggearalongtheWestCoast,withmanagers inthe regionalofficeurgently seeking scientific supportonmitigationoptions. Theprospects forbelow-averagesalmonreturnscontinue. Insubregions,suchasPugetSound,earlymarinesurvivalofsalmoncontinuestobeextremely low in the faceofpotentialnear-historic lowreturnsthisyearandperhapsnext year, increasing concerns about the recovery of the Southern Resident killer whales and theirinteraction with their prey (salmon); the recognized need to build resilience requires an ecosystemapproach. These regional challenges, along with the agency priorities and the program reviewrecommendationsmentionedabove,guidetheselectionofourFY17NWFSCpriorities.

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BudgetOutlook–AgencyandNWFSC

CurrentBudget(FY16)

TheCenter’sbudget,includingpermanentNOAAFisheries,temporaryNOAAFisheries,andreimbursablefunding,hashoveredaround$80Mforthelastfewyears,andourfundinglevelsinFY16weresimilartothoseofFY15.Wecontinuetoreceiveaportionofthecost-recoveryfeescollectedaspartoftheWestCoast Catch Share Program, which are strictly dedicated to activities supporting the catch shareprogram.ThelevelofreimbursablefundsinFY16wasalsocomparabletothepreviousyear.

NWFSCPermanent(Base),TemporaryBase,andReimbursableFundsFY11–FY16

FederalallocationsareprovidedtotheCenterthroughspecificPPA(Programs,Projects,andActivities)categories,orbudgetlines.WemayonlyusethefundsinanygivenPPAforthepurpose(s)describedbythat PPA. From these funds, we support our research and monitoring activities. Research-enablingservices such as Center management, facilities, and administration are paid for through the internal

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fund.TheinternalfundisgeneratedfrompermanentNOAAFisheriesfunds,excludingtemporaryfunds,andconsistedofabout16%ofeachpermanentPPAinFY16.InFY16,CongresschangedtheNOAAFisheriesbudgetstructure tosignificantly reducethenumberofPPAs. The new structure, which will be implemented in 2017, provides more flexibility to meet ourmandates andmission and to be able to quickly adjust to changing circumstances, particularly at thenational level.While thischangeallowsamodest increase indiscretion in theallocationof funds, theagency will continue to monitor spending according to the previous budget structure during thetransition.ThenewstructurehasminimalimpactonourNWFSCbudget,asourfundingstreamsremainlargelyunchanged.Forexample,therecontinuestobeaPacificSalmonPPA,amajorbudgetlinefortheCenter.

SelectBudgetLinesforFY16NWFSCFederalBudgetAllocation

Program,Project,andActivitiesBudgetLine(PPA) FY16(FinalAllocation)

Salmon $10,404,296

FisheriesResearchandManagement $6,750,908

WestCoastGroundfish $5,819,727

ExpandAnnualStockAssessments $5,769,420

Observers $4,820,537

ProductQualityandSafety $1,438,101

EconomicsandSocialSciencesResearch $1,048,356

Aquaculture $887,835

SouthernResidentKillerWhales $840,387

Habitat $306,404

Notes: 1) Not all PPAs are listed. 2) These are the funding by PPA as received by NWFSC, and do not reflectcontributionstotheinternalfund.3)Thistabledoesnotincludeanytemporaryfunds.

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NextYear'sBudget(FY17)

As has been the situation at the onset of the past fewfiscalyears,ourFY17budgetisuncertainandwillremainsountilthereisaresolutionbyCongress—eitherapassedbudget, or a year-long Continuing Resolution (CR).Election years such as this create additional uncertainty,as the Executive Branch and new Congressional partisanleadershipisunknown.Nevertheless,anearlystepintheFY17appropriationprocess,thereleaseofthePresident’sFY17 budget request in early 2016, provides insight intothe outgoing Administration’s budget priorities andpossible outcomes. This year, the request reflects theimportance for NOAA Fisheries to continue to improveour stock assessment capabilities and to implementelectronic reporting and electronic monitoring inmanaged fisheries. For the West Coast, the President’sBudget increases include funding for next-generationstock assessments and to further electronic reporting/monitoring in the catch share fisheries. ThePresident’s request also includes amodest increase for Pacific salmon and aquaculture funding, andinitialdesignbuildfundingforareplacementlaboratoryatMukilteo.

FY17Priorities

Wewillcontinuetohavetwocategoriesofpriorities:FocusAreasandCoreResearchAreas.

FocusAreasarehigh-prioritystrategiceffortsthatlooktothefuture.Theyarecross-divisionalandhavebeen selected based on stated priorities of NOAA and our customers, an assessment of the politicallandscape intheregion,andprimeopportunitiesforbudgetgrowth inthenearterm. InFY17,wewillbuildonorcontinueseveraloftheactivitiesinitiatedinFY16.

CoreResearchAreasareourongoingactivitiesthatwemustfundtoaccomplishourcoreresponsibilitiesundertheMagnuson–StevensAct,theEndangeredSpeciesAct,andtheMarineMammalProtectionAct.

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FocusAreas:

ReviewofFY16FocusAreas

Last fiscal year, we identified five focus areas: California Current Ecosystem Monitoring – OceanConditions, Newport Line, Western Regional Action Plan for Climate Science, West Coast SalmonRecovery,andAquacultureScience.Itisimportanttoassessprogress.

CaliforniaCurrentEcosystemMonitoringInFY16,the“ridiculouslyresilientridge”dissipated, inpartduetotheonsetofa largeElNiño.Centerstaffacrossarangeofsciencedisciplinesworkeddiligentlyandcreativelytosustainoraugmentsurveystoincreasetheamountofdatacollectedatthistimeofmuchvariabilityandchange.ThisincludedthedeploymentoftheEnvironmentalSampleProcessoronabuoyofftheWashingtoncoast,providingnear-realtimedataonHazardousAlgalBloomspeciesandassociatedtoxins.NewportLineThe sampling along the Newport, OR,hydrographiclineprovidedimportantcluesand insight on the evolution of thebiological response to the anomalouslywarm NE Pacific Ocean and the effects ofthe subsequent El Niño. We will besupporting the sampling effort, on anannual basis, at a level to sustain themonitoring.WesternRegionalActionPlanThe NOAA Fisheries National ScienceClimateStrategywasreleasedin2015,andcalled for regions to develop regionalaction plans. On theWest Coast,we havedevelopedadraftplanwiththeSouthwestFisheriesScienceCenter(SWFSC)andtheWestCoastRegion(WCR).Duringpublicreview,wereceivedseveral comments supporting theneed for suchaplanandheard that thedraft plan struck the rightbalance on expectations for climate-related activities while meeting core needs for fisheriesmanagementand recoveryofprotected species, given the currentbudget constraints.By the startofFY17, revisions to the draft will be complete and the final plan will have been submitted to NMFSleadershipandreleasedpublicly.

The lipid content of the food chain is the key variable to monitor to understand the health of the California Current ecosystem, because sardines and hake migrate to the area off Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia, and salmon migrate to the ocean at the same time, to take advantage of this rich food source. Graphic: Bill Peterson, NWFSC.

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WestCoastSalmonRecoveryWecontinuetoprovidebroadtechnicalsupporttotheWestCoastRegionforrecoveryactionsandkeySection7Consultationswhileprovidingongoingscience—forexample,onrestorationeffectiveness.Forthefirst time,Centerscientistsshowedthatusingbeaversas“restorationengineers” leadstopositivepopulationlevelresponses,attimesatafractionofthecostofrestorationwithoutbeavers.Inaddition,inPugetSound,acoustictelemetry-basedstudiesareprovidinginsightsintothesourceandmagnitudeofsignificantpredationmortalityonout-migrantsteelhead.AquacultureScienceResultsfromresearchonsablefishhaveprovidedtheconfidencetomoveforwardwithproduction-scaletestingforcommercialgrow-out. Inaddition,researchonsablefishgeneticsto identifysubpopulationswithhighgrowthratesshowedmarkedlylowgeneticvariationcoastwidefromAlaskatoCalifornia.Thisfindingsupportstheneedandvalueofconductingasinglecoastwidestockassessment,whichisintheplanningphase.Thus,theresearchbenefitedboththeaquacultureprogramandfisherymanagement.

FocusAreasforFY17

In FY17, we will devote strategic effort to the areas identified below, which are a combination ofcontinuingfocusareasfromlastyearandnewfocusareas.ManyofourFY16focusareaseitherrequireorwillbenefitfromclosecoordinationwithSWFSCtomeetthescienceandmanagementneedsofWCR.These efforts aim to position the West Coast to compete successfully for research funding fromheadquartersandexternalpartners.

LeadershipTransitionFY17 will be a period of transition and change at multiple levels of leadership affecting the Center.BeginninginJanuary2017,therewillbeatransitiontoanewCenterDirectorandanewU.S.PresidentandAdministration.TheWestCoastRegiongainedanewRegionalAdministratorinSeptember2016.Atransitionplan toanewCenterDirectorwill be completed inearly FY17, and theCenterwill supporttransitionactivitiesforincomingpoliticalleadershipinearly2018.ThenewDirectorwillneedtoleadtheCenterinarevisionofour5-YearStrategicSciencePlan,whichexpiresin2018.AsrecommendedbytheecosystemsciencereviewpanelandinpreparationforanewCenterStrategicPlan,wewilldevelopanecosystemsciencestrategicplan tobecompletedbyMarch2017.Usingecosystemscience to initiatethe strategic planning process aligns with the increased focus by the agency on ecosystem-basedfisheriesmanagementandmorebroadlyonecosystem-basedmanagement.CaliforniaCurrentEcosystemMonitoring–OceanConditionsEl Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) forecast models were indicating that there was a 55–60%probability for a La Niña starting in the fall/winter 2016–2017. The forecast is now for neutral

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conditions,a“LaNada”—clearly,thereisuncertainty.OceantemperaturesatdepthinnortheastPacificandintheGulfofAlaskacontinuedtobeexceptionallywarm.Howtheremnantsof“theblob”andLaNiña will interact is not certain. It is likely that we will continue to see high variability in oceanconditions,which,whencoupledwithhighvariabilityinbiologicalresponses,drivetheneedforafocusonenhancedmonitoring.Buildinguponpastwork,wewill coordinate coastwideandacrossNOAA toleverage our existing surveys and data sources to maximize the collection of relevant physical andbiologicaldata toassesseffectsonthebiologicalcommunityand fisheryresources.Wewilldevelopalong-term plan for sustained support of the Newport Hydrographic Line tomake it a core observingplatformforNOAAFisheries,aswellasreviewallourobservationalsurveystoensurewearecollectingtherightsuiteofdataandmaintainingessentialtimeseriesforassessingclimatevariabilityandchangeatthelevelofecosystems.WesternRegionalActionPlanonClimateNOAA Fisheries’ National Climate ScienceStrategy is inplace, andwewill havea finalWestern Region Action Plan for ClimateScience (WRAP) by early FY17. In FY17, wewill focus on completing the climatevulnerability assessment, establishing theWestCoastClimateCommittee,andaligningtheWRAPwithcurrentIntegratedEcosystemAssessment(IEA)activities.SalmonRecovery–FCRPSBiologicalOpinionThedroughtinthePacificNorthwestin2015,and continued anomalous ocean conditions in 2016, sustain concern for survival of out-migratingjuvenile salmon and the critical need for broad and effective science support for Pacific salmonmanagementontheWestCoast.Therecentdecisionbythe9thCircuitCourtontheFederalColumbiaRiverPowerSystem(FCRPS)biologicalopinionwillverylikelyleadtochangesinthetypeandscopeofscienceproductsneededtoaddresstheCourt’sopinion.ClosecoordinationandcollaborationwithWCRandSWFSCwillbeneeded inFY17ontheFCRPSbiologicalopinionandonotherconsultations,as therulinghasbroaderimplicationsforsalmonrecoveryefforts.ThroughtheWestCoastClimateCommittee,establishedundertheWRAPto increasecoordination,wewillexplorehowrecoveryobjectivesshouldberevisedtoincludeclimateprojections.

NWFSC and SWFSC released a draft Western Region Action Plan for Climate Science in 2016, in support of the national NMFS Climate Science Plan.

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IntegratedEcosystemAssessmentThe IEA frameworkandprocess is foundational to theWRAP and protected species conservation, providingthe science for implementing ecosystem-basedfisheries and conservation management. In FY17, wewill take steps to transition the IEA program into theframework and process of how we do our scienceacrossallmissionareas.AnewIEAapplicationisahighpriorityneedofWCR for scienceadviceon the recentincrease in whale entanglements with fishing gear,including possible mitigation measures and whetherthis may be a temporary or long-term concern. Incollaborationwith the Alaska Fisheries Science Centerand Canadian colleagues, we will complete the initialphase of the sablefish management strategyevaluation,which includesenvironmental variables forexplaining recruitment, and the coastwide sablefishstock assessment. We will also continue to addressrecommendations from the Pacific FisheryManagement Council (PFMC) to further developecosystemindicatorsandecosystemriskassessment.InternalGrantsProgramFosteringinnovationinthescienceandresearchwedois essential. Last year, we were able to reinitiate theCenter’s Internal Grants Program to foster innovativecross-divisional collaborative research as well asresearchbyindividualscientists. InFY16,wepublisheda review of the program which found that a totalinvestment of $2.4M over 10 years resulted in morethan$21Minnewfunding.InFY17,wewillsupportourInternal Grants Program at a level of at least $100K,andsharethissuccesswithotherNOAAoffices.

NWFSCcompletedeightannualresearchsurveysin2016,focusingonenvironmentalconditions,populationstatus,andtrendsofgroundfish,salmon,hydrography,plankton,andkillerwhales.MapCredit:DamonHolzer,NWFSC.

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CoreResearchAreas:

The following activities are the highest funding priorities for NWFSC in FY17, and must be properlysupported to meet national and regional needs. In some cases, accomplishing these activities willrequireefforttosecureneededresources;inothers,achangeinhowwedobusiness.Carryingouttheseresponsibilitiesmay include reducing or recalibrating the level of effortwe can devote to an activitygiven current budget realities and circumstances that have hindered the effective use of NOAA shiptime.Exclusionfromthislistdoesnotmeananactivitywillnotbefunded;rather,thislistincludesthehighestprioritiesandisnotinrankorder.

✓ We must fully staff all high-priority West Coast surveys for fish and Southern Resident killerwhales. Insomecases,ourability tostaffsurveyshasbeena limiting factor forcompletingthework.Wewill evaluate all surveys andensure that thehighest-priority surveyshavenecessaryoperationalfunding.

✓ Increasingmanagementstrategyevaluation(MSE)capacityisapriorityforNOAAFisheries.Duetorecentdepartures,wewillbackfillapositiontobringourstrongMSE-relatedcapabilitiesbacktolevelspresentinearlyFY16.

✓ Wewill support thePFMCby conducting full stock assessments for yelloweye, yellowtail, blueand deacon rockfish, and lingcod, and updating assessments for bocaccio, darkblotched andblackgillrockfish,andarrowtoothflounder.Acatchreportwillalsobepreparedforcowcodsouthof lat40°10´N.WewillcontinuetechnicalsupportfortheU.S.–Canadawhitingtreatyeconomicdatacollectionforthecatchshareprogram,andsupportforthe5-yearreviewofthecatchshareprogram.

✓ Wewill participate in regional andnational efforts to implement electronic reporting (ER) andelectronicmonitoring(EM)foraugmentingfisherymonitoring.AnER/EMprogramthatmaintainsbiologicalsamplingrequirements isunderdevelopmentthroughthePFMC.WewillcontinuetoworkcooperativelywithWCRandthePacificStatesMarineFisheriesCommission insupportoftheCouncilinitiative,aswellasconductourresearchonenhancedelectronicreporting.

✓ NWFSCwasgiventheresponsibilitytoleadanationalmarineforensicsprogram.InFY17,wewilldevelop a strategic plan to guide national marine forensics activities and complete a budgetagreement with the Office of Law Enforcement to support themarine forensics needs of theagency.

✓ Wewillprovidebiological,social,andeconomicsciencetosupporttherecoveryoflistedspecies,includingPacificsalmon,SouthernResidentkillerwhales,PugetSoundrockfish,greensturgeon,andPacificeulachon.Wewillcontinuestudiestoassesssourcesandmagnitudeofearlymarinemortality of steelhead and Chinook in Puget Sound, telemetry studies of green sturgeon

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movementandhabitatuse,andpredator–preyrelationshipsforSouthernResidentkillerwhalesandsalmon.

OrganizationalExcellence

High-qualitysciencerequireshigh-qualityadministrativeandoperationalsupportsystems. InFY17,wewillfocusonimprovingorganizationexcellenceinthreeareas:1)facilitiesandinfrastructure,2)aligningourworkforcewithourbudgetandresearchpriorities,and3)implementingascienceplanningprocessthroughtheAnnualProjectPlanningDatabase.

FacilitiesandInfrastructure

In FY17, we will conduct the following activities to ensure a quality working environment andinfrastructuretosupportdeliveryofscienceproducts.

✓ ContinueeffortstoreplacefacilitiesatMukilteotoprovidestaffwiththeinfrastructureneededtocarryoutstate-of-the-artscience.

✓ BytheendofthefirstquarterofFY17,wewillworktoreachagreementwiththeWashingtonDepartment of Transportation on mitigation needed for NWFSC as a result of the proposedrebuildingofSR520.

✓ In2016,weaccomplishedtwomajormilestonesrelatedtotheAdministration’sPublicAccesstoResearchResults (PARR) Initiative: thepublicationofallDivisionDataManagementPlans,and100%completionofdiscovery-levelmetadata forall active researchprojects. In2017,wewillcontinue to implement PARR by following the schedule outlined in the new NMFS PARRImplementationPlan.Thisincludesmaintaining100%completionofdiscovery-levelmetadatainallcontinuingandnewprojects,andensuringthatatleast30%ofourdatasetsarediscoverable(i.e.,publiclyaccessibleinamachine-readableformat)by1March2017.

AligningOurWorkforceandOurResearchPriorities

The NOAA Fisheries Deputy Assistant Administrator must approve all proposed new hiring actionsthroughdevelopmentofanannualstaffingplan.ForNWFSC,thereducedbudgetinFY12andFY13,verymodestadjustments in FY14, andanearly flatbudget in FY15 throughFY17means thatwewill needstrict control of labor costs to have the necessary level of operational funds to execute our researchpriorities. Theannual increase in salary costs (about3%)due to theCommerceAlternativePersonnelSystem(CAPS)andtheimpactofnon-laborcostinflationcontinuestoputpressureontheavailabilityofoperationalfunds.Tomaintainoperationalfunds,wehavehadtoreduceCenterstaffingby84fulltimeequivalent(FTE)positions,a23%declinesincepeakstaffinginFY12.

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NumberofNWFSCStaff,FY10–FY16

Incontrast,thesizeoftheNOAAFisheriesworkforcehasdeclinedby10%inrecentyears.InFY17,wewillagainworktohavenonetincreaseinlaborcostforpermanentstaff.Thismeansthatwewillnotbeabletoreplacestaffatthesamerateasattrition,andwewillneedtoaddresstheincreaseinlaborcostsfromCAPS.

Given thisbudget reality,wewill use the following strategies tomanageourworkforceandalignourhumancapitaltomeetourmissionandcoreresearchactivities:

✓ Continuetofill laborshortfallsthroughnoncompetitivereassignmentswhereverpossible.Onlymission-criticalhireswillbefilledbycandidatesexternaltotheCenter.Theimplementationofour science plan and correspondingworkforcemanagement planwill be the basis to providecontextandincentiveforworkforcerealignment.

✓ NonetincreaseinlaborcostsforpermanentstaffduringFY17.✓ Conduct a review of the Divisional staffing plans. As needed, adjust divisional organizational

chartstoreflectanassumptionofnofuturebudget increasesandanaccompanyingchange inmissionscope.TheplanninghorizonwillbeFY18.

✓ UpdateourHumanCapital InvestmentPlan in response to staffmorale concerns identified inthe recent agency-wide survey, and reinvent the Human Resource Management Team toaddresswork-lifeissuesandstaffmorale.

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✓ Implement the NOAA Fisheries Diversity and Inclusion Plan to be a vibrant and productiveworkforcebyeducatingstaff,enhancingoutreach,andimprovingourworkenvironmentrelativetodiversityandinclusion.

AnnualSciencePlanImplementationProcess–TheFuture

We will position the Center to be forward-looking and take an approach to science and researchactivities that meets regional and national needs, maintains necessary infrastructure and supportservices, and aligns our workforce capabilities with core and high-priority mission areas. Ourimplementation process is evolving andwill mature over time. The goal is to conduct programmaticplanning that ismore transparent to staff, agency leadership, and constituents. Theplanning processwillbeeffectiveifwecanclearlytrackandexplainhowwearrivedatourprioritiesforactivitiesthatfallwithinthebroaderprioritiesdescribedinthisAGM.

We have redesigned the Annual Project Planning Database to assess research activities across theCenterandinitiateresearchprioritization.TheAlaskaandSouthwestFisheriesScienceCentersarealsousing this tool, allowing us to coordinate with these close partners. The goal is to develop detailedProjectPlansthatincludeactivities,timelines,budget,staffing,andproducts.WewillusethefollowingcriteriatorankprojectsinFY17:

● WouldotherorganizationsconductthisactivityiftheNWFSCdidnot?● Isthisactivityessentialtoachievestrategicplangoalsandobjectives?● Howsignificantlywilltheproductsofthisactivityinformmanagement?● IstheactivityoneofthefocusareasinthecurrentAnnualGuidanceMemorandum?● Istheresearchandscienceofhighquality?

Working with the Division Directors, we will continue to make the following improvements to theprocessinFY17:

✓ WewillenhancetheutilityoftheProjectTrackingDatabasebyimprovingconnectionsbetweenstaff,budgets,andProjectPlans,andgeneratingbetterinformationaboutfuturestaffingneedsandtraining.

✓ Wearedueforanupdatetoour5-yearstrategicplanandwillengagethenewCenterDirectoronscopeandtiming.

✓ Wewilltrackimplementationofrecommendationsfromthefisherystockassessmentdataandprocess peer reviews and protected species reviews, with the goal of closing out on therecommendations from the fishery stockassessmentdata review.Wewill alsobeginworkonimplementingrecommendationsoftheprotectedresourcesprogramreviews.

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✓ Following increased emphasis on the use of the NOAA Fisheries Electronic Annual OperationPlan(eAOP)systemfordevelopmentoftheNOAAFisheriesAnnualImplementationPlan,wewillbegin to incorporate milestones and products from Project Plans into the eAOP system andinstitute more formal tracking of milestones with assignment to Divisions at the level ofPrograms.