The Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission

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About PacFIN:

The Pacific Fisheries Information Network (PacFIN) provides timely and accurate data essential for effective fisheries management. The nation’s first regional fisheries data network, PacFIN is a joint Federal and State data collection and information management project. It is funded by a grant from the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS).

PacFIN aggregates detailed and summarized state and federal fisheries data to allow fishery managers and associated agencies to track commercial fish catches by area. This helps the states, the Pacific Fishery Management Council, and other agencies manage fisheries and fishery resources more effectively. The need for this data has become more critical as the demand on our fisheries has increased.

Cooperative agency and industry partners supply data from fisheries off the coasts of Washington, Oregon, California, Alaska, and British Columbia. These statistics are recorded in the PacFIN central database, which includes fish-ticket and vessel registration data from state fishery agencies in Washington, Oregon and California. It also compiles species-composition and catch-by-area proportions from port sampling and trawl logbook data systems.  

Partners:  

The National Marine Fisheries Service, Alaska Department of Fish & Game (ADFG), and Canadian Department of Fisheries and Oceans also supply fishery data to PacFIN. The Network combines the collected information in order to provide accurate estimates of Pacific Fishery Management Council catch for each groundfish species by month, area, and gear. The NMFS supplies the central database with limited-entry permit data and the U.S. Coast Guard vessel data is also incorporated. The Northwest Regional Office of NMFS and Alaska Fisheries Science Center inputs weekly aggregates developed from their tow-by-tow observer database. PacFIN develops best estimates of catch for each groundfish species by month, area, and gear-type from the source data mentioned above.

Learn More:  

For more information, please contact Dave Colpo, PacFIN program Manager at the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission: (503)-595-3100 and visit the PacFIN Program at http://www.psmfc.org/pacfin/