The proposed Joint Working Group will collaborate on deriving habitat models relating albacore tuna distributions to oceanographic conditions. Albacore tuna is the most temperate highly migratory species and much of its range overlaps the PICES domain. In addition, the stock is considered healthy and capable of supporting current exploitation thus environmentally-driven distribution and productivity changes should be more easily discernible from signals related to direct human impacts (fishing). The proposed Joint Working Group will also investigate mechanisms regulating albacore productivity by relating large-scale climate indices that describe North Pacific Ocean states to albacore tuna recruitment indices and demographic parameters.

Section on Human Dimensions of Marine Systems (S-HD) is the scientific body responsible for the promotion, coordination, integration and synthesis of research activities related to the contribution of the social sciences to the second PICES integrative science program on "Forecasting and Understanding Trends, Uncertainty and Responses of North Pacific Ecosystems" (FUTURE), to PICES Scientific Committees, and to PICES as an organization.

1. Assemble lists of existing data (including metadata) that contribute to an analysis of the comparative ecology of Euphausia pacifica and Thysanoessa species. Identify gaps in our understanding of krill ecology, life history and population dynamics.
2. Prepare a research plan to help fill gaps in our understanding, and aid regional collaborative research efforts. Explore ways and means of facilitating exchange of scientists between laboratories and on research cruises.
3. Convene “hands-on” practical workshops with krill biologists (including students and established scientists) from PICES member countries to help them initiate and carry out krill research programs. These workshops could be convened before each PICES meeting, or at other times as appropriate. Protocols for experimental work have been already published on the PICES website here.
4. Initiate euphausiid research programs in PICES member countries which will include sampling on a regular basis (biweekly-monthly) to determine seasonal cycles of spawning and growth, and incubations of live animals for measurement of brood size and molting rates.
5. Work with modelers to better parameterize euphausiids in the NEMURO and other models so as to explore their role in coastal and oceanic food chains.
6. Convene a krill workshop at the GLOBEC Open Science Meeting (May 2009).
7. Organize a Krill Symposium or a Topic Session at PICES XX in 2011, and submit a set of krill synthesis papers for a special issue of a scientific peer-reviewed journal.