FUTURE Symposium does not call for abstracts.

PICES has provided leadership in developing a more thorough understanding of the structure, function, and changes of North Pacific marine ecosystems with the support of its flagship scientific programs. The current scientific program on ‘Forecasting and Understanding Trends, Uncertainty, and Responses of North Pacific Marine Ecosystems’ (FUTURE) has been promoting investigations of North Pacific ecosystems with an emphasis on the synergy of social, ecological, and environmental systems (SEES) and processes. Within this SEES framework, FUTURE is focused on developing a better understanding of the combined consequences of climate change and anthropogenic pressures on marine ecosystems, ecosystem services, and marine-dependent social systems. The FUTURE symposium plans to review its past, assess the present, and discuss the future of FUTURE to better observations, improved awareness of mechanisms of change, and ultimately science for sustainability along with the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development and the mission of developing “the science we need for the ocean we want”.

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Over the past several decades, extreme climate events (ECEs) have generally become more frequent and intense, resulting in devastating, long-lasting ecological and socio-economic impacts on both global and regional scales. ECEs include both rapid or intermittent physical events (e.g., marine heatwaves, tropical cyclones, and storm surges) and imbalances initiated by biogeochemical responses to climate change (e.g., ocean acidification, deoxygenation, HABs, bleaching). These events affect marine ecosystems at all trophic levels mainly through shifts in habitat distribution, biodiversity, and communities, resulting in the destruction of coastal biogenic habitats.

There is a clear need to better understand and predict these events in different Pacific regions. Advances needed include an updated statistical characterization of ECEs (e.g., in terms of intensity, frequency, duration, and three-dimensional evolution), identification of their driving mechanisms, a refined assessment of their ecological impacts, and improvements in our ability to predict and project future changes in extremes. Improved characterization and understanding of compound events, i.e., the co-occurrence of different types of physical and/or biogeochemical extremes, is also needed.

This session provides a platform to compare physical and biogeochemical processes and the statistics of ECEs in different regions by inviting case studies in the Pacific.

In this session, we welcome contributions on ECEs and related compound events on the following topics: 1) the physical and biogeochemical processes of extremes, 2) the ecological and socio-economic consequences, and 3) the prediction or projection of extremes.

Climate change and extreme events are rapidly altering marine ecosystems worldwide, impacting ecosystem productivity, structure, and stability and the livelihoods and wellbeing of people that rely on sustainable marine resources. Understanding if and when climate-driven changes will push systems and species past tipping points (critical points where a small change in a pressure or driver can induce a disproportionate change in system dynamics) has profound implications for management decisions and climate adaptation planning and response. The goal of this session is to follow on findings from our ECCWO5 workshop on tipping points and threshold analyses and to integrate across PICES and ICES working group efforts to synthesize findings and outputs from recent integrated modeling projects across the globe. In particular, the session will include presentations that (1) explore methods for detecting tipping points in marine ecosystems, (2) provide evidence and case studies for historical and future physical, biological, and social-economic tipping points and thresholds in marine systems, and (3) review progress towards inclusion of such information in actionable advice to support climate-informed Ecosystem Based Management.

Small pelagic fish are important components of fisheries and marine ecosystems worldwide. Yet for many species, there is limited information on the consequences of climate change and multiple stressors. Information on pelagic fish distribution, habitat use, and the pressures that affect them is required for sustainable and ecosystem based approaches to fisheries management. Recent advances in technologies, empirical analytical tools, and models can lead to better observations and improved understanding of pelagic fish. In this session, we invite presentations that elucidate the effects of climate change and other pressures on the distribution and productivity of small pelagic fish through advanced technologies in sampling and observational tools (e.g., optics, eDNA, modified trawls, autonomous vehicles), analytical tools (e.g., automated image and acoustics analyses, advances in processing remotely collected data, using diet analyses to develop indices of abundance and distribution), and modeling techniques (e.g., artificial intelligence, spatio-temporal and other statistical methods, incorporating the environment into ecosystem models and ecosystem considerations into stock assessments). Advances in tools used for monitoring, observing, and assessing will improve our ability to predict and manage small pelagic fish populations, which is critical for both ecosystem-based fisheries management and communities that rely on marine resources. This will address the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science’s mission of developing the “science we need for the ocean we want”.

Advanced technology has helped our sampling efforts and increased our understanding of oceanography and ecosystem processes over the last two decades. Various sampling sensors, platforms, and ways of sensor fabrication have been developed, such as physics, biology, biogeochemistry, underwater communication, bioacoustics, bio-optics, and autonomous vehicles. These observational frontiers and new studies can be combined with building a seamless data integration and sharing system, which can relay information to artificial intelligence technology. We invite contributions on recent ocean observational approaches to obtain primary ocean variables and unprecedented measurements for physical, biological, and biogeochemical ocean properties and integrated efforts using different platforms. We also welcome contributions of low-cost ocean observations and new approaches by citizen scientists using new and existing sensors and platforms. These advanced technology and accessible approaches will support our goal of understanding the ocean sustainably.

The continual emission of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere is the main driver of global climate change, posing a serious threat to the sustainable development of human society. The PICES/ICES joint Working Group 46 promoted interdisciplinary collaboration across different research communities by bringing together professionals from science (biological, biogeochemical, chemical, and physical oceanography) and engineering.

The Working Group initiated the creation of the international network Global ONCE, which has been approved by the IOC of UNESCO in 2023. In order to continue to consolidate and deepen the achievement of WG46 and to continue to contribute to the scientific objectives of PICES (in particular the FUTURE program), this session seeks to explore and showcase innovative technologies, methodologies, and best practices that leverage the potential of the world's oceans to sequester carbon and mitigate climate change effects. By uniting experts, researchers, policymakers, industry leaders, and environmental advocates, the event strives to accelerate the development and deployment of cutting-edge blue technologies, while also fostering a deeper understanding of the role oceans play in promoting global sustainable development.

By addressing these objectives, this session strives to fully demonstrate Global ONCE's latest progress and future development to the PICES community, as well as to build a bridge between Global ONCE and PICES FUTURE to discuss mechanisms for possible cooperation and coaction.

International program on Circulation Research of East Asian Marginal Seas (CREAMS) started in August of 1993. It was the first international program in this area and it significantly promoted collaboration between marine scientists of bordering countries as well as their colleagues from other parts of the world. North East Asian Marginal Seas are one of the most affected areas in the global ocean by climate changes and anthropogenic impacts. There have been considerable advances in exploring these seas over the 30 years. Being initially focused on research of water circulation and ventilation, the CREAMS program evolved into biogeochemical and ecosystem research and now is seeking a way to be a more socio-economic oriented program. This session would summarize and share the knowledge and experience in water dynamics, biogeochemistry, ecosystem and their variability at multi-scales, and discuss the future directions of research in the area moving toward a multidisciplinary science. It is especially important to identify links between marine sciences and socio-economic requirements in the area to develop an integrative program for future research in this region to correspond to the UN Decade targets. Participation of ECS is especially welcomed to involve them into the CREAMS activity. The session outcome should clarify a vision of international comprehensive marine research in the North East Asian region that meets the current needs of society.

Reports of fish, seabirds, and marine mammals occurring in regions of the North Pacific where they infrequently or were not known to previously occur are on the rise. In some cases, the arrival of newcomer-species may reflect re-establishments of historic ranges following protection from over-exploitation. In other cases, range expansions and shifting distributions of the newcomer-species may be responses to bottom-up processes related to changing ocean conditions or may reflect top-down behavioral responses to predation.

Documenting and understanding the drivers of new appearances of species is needed to assess the ecosystem impacts, including consequences that increasing numbers of new arrivals may have on other species. Similarly, assessments are needed to evaluate the social, economic and ecological benefits and threats that such newcomer-species pose. This type of information is needed to help guide future social and fisheries policies.

This topic session invites papers that address 1) decadal changes in the distributions of marine birds, mammals and fish—and their implications and underlying causes, 2) direct and indirect effects that the changes in species distributions are having on other species and community compositions, 3) social and economic consequences that changing distributions and ranges of species have on coastal communities, 4) unique observations of newcomer-species as a result of extreme-events, and 5) how newcomer-species can help inform ecosystem status reports and other management needs.

This session contributes to FUTURE, BIO, S-CCME and MBM goals to document ecosystem response to climate-driven (and other) changes.

Presenters will be encouraged to link their work to other PICES expert groups. If there is enough interest, we will plan a special issue of such examples of newcomer-species and rapid-range shifts that interested presenters could participate in.

Ocean carbon cycles have been perturbed critically by human activities, with consequences for the ocean environment as well as the world's climate already emerging both at regional and global scales. Prompt detection of such perturbations and accurate projection of future consequences are essential for adequate social planning and implementation of countermeasures. However, our skills require further development to support society’s needs for timely, accurate information on ocean conditions. Especially in coastal areas, anthropogenic signals are often masked by large, complex natural perturbations, and our ability to accurately predict future natural variation is also limited. Interaction of coastal and open ocean ecosystems and biogeochemical cycles are also important, but many processes and interactions require further investigation.

In addition to these advances needed for understanding changing ocean carbon cycles, marine carbon dioxide removal (CDR) is emerging as a rapidly expanding issue in ocean sciences and industries. The 6th IPCC assessment report clearly stated that implementation of negative emission technologies is unavoidable to limit warming to less than 2 °C by the end of this century, and ocean CDR is one such option. However, estimation of the efficiency of each CDR technique still has large uncertainties, and understanding of potential side effects of each technique on marine ecosystems and global biogeochemical cycles is limited.

Capacities required to fill critical knowledge gaps on ocean CDR overlap with those needed for prompt detection of natural/anthropogenic perturbations and accurate projection of their future consequences. This session aims to showcase our current knowledge, and knowledge gaps, regarding detection of natural and anthropogenic perturbations of the carbon cycle including ocean CDR, and accurate projection of their future consequences. We welcome submissions across all disciplines that address these issues in both open and coastal ocean.

The North Pacific and its marginal seas are heavily polluted with meso- and microplastics. The science to understand and tackle this problem is moving quickly. This session will highlight recent advances in plastic pollution science in the North Pacific and its marginal seas, covering issues such as how we are monitoring plastic pollution in the ecosystem, harmonization of methodologies and how this standardization is driving novel insights, trends in plastic pollution in the abiotic and biotic components of the ecosystem, and how science is informing risk assessments and mitigation of this mounting global threat. We are also interested in how science in the PICES region aligns with global coordination of plastic pollution research. Along this theme, there is also interest in how researchers in the PICES community are interfacing with scientists, managers, and policymakers from other regions. These interactions with members of the global community are supported by the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development and will be increasingly necessary to empower science-guided decision-making for plastic usage and litter management, as well as assessing threats to environmental and human health.

PICES will provide leadership to the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development and its mission of developing “the science we need for the ocean we want” through its science programs. The current FUTURE scientific program promotes investigations of North Pacific ecosystems with an emphasis on the synergy of social, ecological, and environmental systems and processes. Within this framework, PICES is focused on developing a better understanding of the combined consequences of climate change and anthropogenic pressures on marine ecosystems and services, and their marine-dependent social systems. Globally, non-indigenous species (NIS) are recognized as major ecosystem stressors which can cause ecological and economic damage to marine ecosystems and are a threat to biodiversity, ecosystem services, and the livelihood of coastal communities around the North Pacific. The spread of marine NIS has increased in the last decade due to globalization and other related human activities such as climate change. An increased awareness about the threats NIS pose has resulted in a recognition for better management and policy in order to achieve sustainability goals. From aquaculture imports to commercial shipping to the catastrophic consequences of the Great East Japan Tsunami, there are many examples of NIS movements between the eastern and western Pacific and between the Pacific and all world oceans. In order to mitigate the risks posed by NIS to achieve greater sustainability of North Pacific ecosystems we must first learn from the past and present in order to make informed decisions about the future. The goal of this session is to share experiences around understanding, forecasting, assessing, and mitigating NIS that will inform future priorities on NIS for PICES member countries.

As sea temperatures keep rising, warming impacts on marine fisheries have become increasingly prevalent. For example, temperature-induced changes in fish distribution and movement across management boundaries impact management of multi-jurisdictional fisheries. Additionally,, changes in phenology can lead to mismatch between larva abundances and plankton blooms, thereby affecting recruitment and fish stocks productivity. In contrast, warming-induced changes in fish body sizes have been increasingly documented but their potential impacts have received comparatively less attention.

Changes in body size can impact other life history traits such as maturity, fecundity, diet, habitat preferences, and predator-prey interactions; all of which can alter the functioning of size-structured ecosystems and commercial fisheries. While research has thus far mainly focused on understanding how warming seas affect fish growth, the magnitude of the consequences of changes in body size and what it could mean for ecology, fisheries and ecosystems is yet to be explored.

As global warming is likely to lead to further changes in fish body sizes there is a need to assess the possible consequences facing marine ecosystems and fisheries in order to understand the challenges that lie ahead. This session aims at assessing the future consequences of changing fish body sizes occurring in warming seas. We are seeking contributions on (but not limited to) the following topics:

1. Interrelations between fish growth and other life history traits
2. Impacts of fish body sizes on species mobility, use of habitat, and migrations/distributions
3. Evidence of changes in fish body sizes affecting predator-prey interactions and their consequences on size-structured food webs.
4. Impacts on commercial fisheries, including changes in yield, fishery practices, and management measures
5. Examples accounting for changes in fish body sizes in fish stocks assessment and management
6. Impacts on markets and fish sales, changes in nutritional value, and implications for food security

Higher latitude regions are experiencing the fastest rates of climate change, impacting marine biodiversity and plankton diversity, but significant changes are also occurring across mid-latitude coastal zones. These changes in physical and chemical conditions are affecting the biodiversity of plankton communities, creating new ecological spaces, resulting in local appearances of new HAB species and the blooming of endemic HAB species that previously had not been problematic. For example, recent observations show the appearance of paralytic shellfish toxin-containing plankton far north of the Arctic Circle. This condition would not have been possible with the very short planktonic growing season only two decades earlier. Indeed, northward-moving Pacific warm waters are shown to now carry Alexandrium blooms as far north as the Chukchi Sea. Similarly, Gambierdiscus species, the causative agents for ciguatera fish poisoning, historically found in tropical regions, have now been isolated in Japanese coastal regions. The importance of latitudinal shifts in biodiversity related to future HABs is highlighted in published proceedings from at least two international meetings co-sponsored by PICES. Yet, information on these changes in PICES nations must be more present. This session invites PICES and non-PICES experts from several countries to present their findings on how HAB species' distribution, prevalence, and emergence have changed over the last decades in the North Pacific region and elsewhere. Time will be set aside to discuss these changes and the steps needed to understand their mechanistic drivers better. Combined, these presentations will provide an overview of how changing ocean conditions have altered contemporary HAB events, provide insights into the trajectory of HAB risks, and consider if the HAB events are transitory or represent stable trophic shifts as climate change accelerates.

The objective of this session is to explore the importance of rapid plankton assessment in comprehending and managing the ocean carbon cycle, highlighting the crucial role of plankton in ecosystem management. We will concentrate on underwater imaging techniques and leverage deep learning technologies for efficient plankton assessment and subsequent application of this information to address ecosystem management in the face of a changing claimte. This session aims to unite experts in underwater imaging and deep learning systems, focusing on the applications of these techniques to facilitate rapid plankton assessment. Our aspiration is that this session will drive progress in plankton assessment methodologies, allowing us to develop a framework that integrates real-time or near real time plankton data with information from other sensors. This integration will be instrumental in examining and forecasting ecosystem status.

The Biological Oceanography Committee (BIO) has a wide range of interests spanning from molecular to global scales. BIO targets all organisms living in the marine environment including bacteria, phytoplankton, zooplankton, micronekton, benthos and marine birds and mammals. In this session, we welcome all papers on biological aspects of marine science in the PICES region. Contributions from early career scientists are especially encouraged.

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This session invites papers addressing general topics in fishery science and fisheries oceanography in the North Pacific and its marginal seas, except those covered by Topic Sessions sponsored by the Fishery Science Committee (FIS).

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This session invites papers addressing the promotion, coordination, integration and synthesis of research activities related to the contribution of the social sciences to marine science, and to facilitate discussion among researchers from both the natural and social sciences. We invite abstract submissions on any of these topics.

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Papers are invited on all aspects of marine environmental quality research in the North Pacific and its marginal seas, except those covered by Topic Sessions sponsored by the Marine Environmental Quality Committee (MEQ).

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Papers are invited on all aspects of physical oceanography and climate in the North Pacific and its marginal seas, except those covered by Topic Sessions sponsored by the Physical Oceanography and Climate Committee (POC).

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Plankton monitoring is a key component of observational programs in the North Pacific. Many of these programs contribute to mature and relatively short plankton time series which provide early and rapid biological indicators of response to climate-ocean variability and extreme events (e.g. marine heatwaves) occurring with increasing frequency. A major goal of this workshop is to bring PICES-region plankton monitoring groups together and develop a common understanding of differences and similarities in sampling methods (gear, timing, coverage) and analytical methods. Discussion and presentation of non-standard but complementary sampling (biochemical, imagery, etc.,) methods and time series analyses of plankton are also important to this goal. Against this background, our objective is to begin a comparison of regional phyto- and zooplankton time series with the goal of identifying common metrics and methods useful at broader scales relevant to the North Pacific. An additional motivation for this workshop is to census the appetite for continued group discussion and regular updates on regional plankton time series.

Climate extreme events (CEC) occur with regularity across the North Pacific. Physical ocean and atmospheric events cascade into ecological anomalies such as harmful algal blooms, marine species die offs, and changes in the distribution and abundance of species. These physical and ecological dynamics often have direct consequences for social systems requiring management such as through fishery closures or expansion, damage to infrastructure and property, and health problems. Currently, many resource management and policy frameworks do not yet handle the impacts of CECs efficiently. In this workshop, participants will explore CEC case studies in the North Pacific to outline drivers, and their ecological and societal impacts using the DSPIR (drivers, pressures, states, impacts, responses) framework. The DSPIR framework has been broadly applied to identify management and policy actions related to environmental problems. It draws out interactions between state changes and human impacts to identify where the system experiences shifts in ecosystem services and societal benefits and starts to identify suitable responses to control the adverse effects of the drivers and pressures. Participants will also link knowledge generated in the workshop to the PICES-specific SEES (social-ecological environmental system) framework. The SEES framework can help identify how PICES can streamline CEC science activities and solutions for the North Pacific. The workshop will aim to generate information for researchers and decision-makers to enable actionable solutions and build understanding of the similarities and differences in outcomes across different CECs.

The Human Dimension Committee has been conducting analysis since 2020 to conduct a preliminary assessment of the PICES human network towards understanding how the organization may already be addressing a variety of UNDOS goals. The research team assembled and analyzed research products created within PICES since 1992 (Annual Meeting Books of Abstracts). WG51 on “Exploring Human Networks to Power Sustainability” aims to expand our initial work on the PICES organization by studying linkages among research activities and their social networks within PICES nations and other significant marine science organizations around the globe. The working group will update the database of PICES Abstract books until the proposed workshop. The practical workshop is for WG 51 members and other interested participants to (1) analyze case studies using updated version of the database by each PICES nations, (2) identify 100 keywords for each case studies for correspondence analysis and (3) create list of research institutions of each PICES member nation for network analysis and (4) establish the database for the final analysis in the following year (the final year of WG-51).

There is clear evidence of contrasting occurrence and impacts of toxin-producing dinoflagellates of the genus Alexandrium between the western and eastern Pacific. All PICES nations have experienced Alexandrium blooms, and there is evidence that the seasonal window for these blooms is expanding with increasing ocean temperatures. However, there are significant differences in oceanographic conditions in the eastern and western margins of the Pacific. A better understanding of the similarities and differences in these bloom phenologies, magnitude, and character across this oceanographic framework would strengthen the foundation for forecasting how these toxic events may change in the future oceans, a key finding of PICES-funded international workshops on HABs and Climate Change. Indeed, while a recent global assessment of HABs finds little firm evidence of climate-induced changes in HABS, there are indications that regional trends may be obscured. This workshop is a continuation of our successful east-west Pacific HAB comparisons, which now will focus on Alexandrium species that historically have had massive economic and human health impacts in PICES member countries. The workshop foundation will be an extension of contemporary datasets in the PICES region back to the 1990s and earlier where available, with PICES participants pre-submitting available data on HAB species presence, maximum abundance, toxicity, optimal conditions for growth, time of year, temperature range, salinity range, water clarity, nutrients, wind, hydrologic intensification, and upwelling indices. Workshop participants will evaluate the trends and patterns in these data to develop hypotheses for development into outlook products on day 1 and develop a detailed outline for manuscript preparation on day 2, including writing assignments and submission deadlines. The manuscript will be prepared as a PICES Special Publication and/or an appropriate peer-reviewed journal.

Due to its structure, the workshop W5 does not have an open call for abstracts for oral presentations.

The vast and complex nature of the ocean necessitates large scale coordination of science and policy across local, national, and international institutions. We propose a workshop aimed at exploring the successful models of the North Pacific Marine Science Organization (PICES), the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) and the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (UNDOS) to inspire and guide institutions, scientists, and policymakers in fostering international marine science collaboration and knowledge co-production. The proposed workshop provides a unique opportunity to explore how ICES, PICES, and other organizations/programs are working to bridge the science-policy interface, offering valuable insights for the global scientific community. Experts from partner organizations and UNDOS Programs are strongly encouraged to participate in the discussion and we invite other examples/success stories/challenges to participate. We plan to produce a publication (e.g., PICES Press article or ICES IMS ‘Food For Thought’ article) detailing the outcomes of the workshop. By delving into the roles of institutions, interdisciplinary approaches, and the interface between research and application, participants can gain valuable insights to apply in their own regions and foster global science collaboration.

Due to its structure, the workshop W6 does not have an open call for abstracts for oral presentations.

In an era of burgeoning ocean data, this workshop will bring together ocean professionals interested in and working with ocean data across a range of experience levels (e.g., early career professionals, data managers, researchers) to establish a unified framework and shared language for effective ocean data management. With data's pivotal role across marine disciplines, cultivating a harmonized approach becomes imperative. Through interactive discussions, the workshop will collaboratively construct a common vocabulary of key ocean data concepts, and establish a comprehensive data framework – from collection to utilization. Additionally, the workshop will explore next steps, such as effective strategies to share the resulting terminology and framework and the potential development of a training. In doing so, the workshop aims to lay a foundation for improved data management practices within and across PICES, UN Ocean Decade actions, and the broader marine science community. By creating a common understanding of key data science terminology and data frameworks, the workshop seeks to enhance science collaboration, streamline processes, and elevate data utilization.

The North Pacific Ocean is a large and productive ecosystem that is characterized by strong interdecadal climate variability. This Ocean basin supports a number of flatfish species of great ecological, cultural and economic importance. Many of these species have wide distribution ranges and undergo significant ontogenetic and seasonal migrations, and, therefore, are particularly susceptible to climate and environmental variability. In order to address key issues related to flatfish species, from basic aspects of their biology to population management and conservation efforts at an international level, three FIS-sponsored PICES workshops have been organized at recent PICES Annual Meetings. The first workshop was co-sponsored by the International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC) at the 2019 PICES Annual Meeting (W2) and focused on important topics on the biology and fishery of Pacific halibut and interacting species by bringing together researchers, scientists and managers from countries that are invested in this resource (featured in PICES Press, 2020, Vol. 28(1)). This workshop highlighted the need to apply integrative approaches to improve our understanding of the biology and management of widely distributed flatfish species in the North Pacific Ocean, requiring a high level of cooperation at the international level. One of the deliverables of this workshop was the publication of a Special Issue in the journal Fisheries Research that was edited by the convenors and that appeared in 2023. The second workshop took place at the 2022 PICES Annual Meeting (W5) and focused on addressing emerging issues in key flatfish species with broad distribution across the North Pacific Ocean related to their biology, environmental impacts on their distribution, and management (featured in PICES Press). This workshop will be followed by a third one at the 2023 PICES Annual Meeting (W7) with identical objectives and that has received considerable attention as shown by the full program (3 invited speakers and 10 oral communications). In order to capitalize on the gains of these three workshops, the convenors are proposing a fourth workshop during the 2024 PICES Annual Meeting that will aim at 1) devising strategies for data sharing on fishing efforts and management of flatfish species across the North Pacific Ocean, and 2) promoting international collaborative studies to improve our knowledge on movement of flatfish populations and potential distribution changes of flatfish and other interacting species in the face of climate variability.

Due to its structure, the workshop W8 does not have an open call for abstracts for oral presentations.

The proposed Science Jam builds upon the past two PICES science communication workshops that focused on video creation and fact sheet development. These previous 2 workshops taught PICES scientists how to develop tools to effectively and concisely communicate their science. At PICES 2022, members completed a 2-day Science Communications workshop with the primary goal of developing videos that describe the accomplishments, needs, and future plans of PICES Expert Groups. In 2023, PICES members will learn how to create Fact sheets that will be used to describe the accomplishments and future plans of PICES Expert Groups.

These communication products are now available for the public to view, but to date, only about 15 viewers have seen the 3 PICES videos developed in 2022 and shared on the PICES youtube channel. This clearly illustrates the need to bridge the gap between creating communication products and sharing them with the world. This proposed workshop for PICES 2024 aims to educate PICES members about effective social media tools to effectively communicate their science, such as Facebook, X/Twitter, Loomly and more, focusing on those tools that are viewable in all PICES member nations. In addition, time will be allocated to participants who would like to develop videos or factsheets by using the skills learned in the 2022 and 2023 AP-SciCom workshops.

Marine predators have been put forth as samplers of poorly known forage nekton in remote coastal ecosystems. The Aleutian Archipelago is uniquely situated between sub-tropical and sub-arctic biomes in the Northcentral Pacific, and is a "hotspot" of biodiversity for upper level consumers. Longitudinal variation in water mass characteristics, as well as large-scale current and tidal transport of waters across the archipelago promotes high levels of primary and secondary productivity, but sampling of secondary production is lacking. Climatic events, including a long-lasting marine heat wave and apparent shifts in the PDO, also suggest substantial recent changes in key forage species, with lagged effects now appearing in the populations of some trophically-dependent predators. Fortunately, several long-term (1970-present) datasets on the diets of seabirds exist for the region, but these data have yet to be fully analyzed to understand variability and trends in meso- to epipelagic food webs through space and time. In this workshop, we will examine statistical and other approaches which could be used as indicators of forage availability, data available from coastally-foraging puffins (tufted, horned, and rhinoceros) from the Aleutian marine ecosystem. Puffins return "bill loads" of freshly caught fish and squid to colonies where they may be sampled for species, mass, size, and proximate composition. Sampling using puffins offers opportunities and challenges that must be examined in order to interpret dietary datasets properly, and use them in marine ecosystem ecology and management. We anticipate a report on analytical approaches for the use of puffin diet as indicators of forage nekton will result from this workshop.