Council directs GMT to build Pacific EC‑species mortality report on PacFIN, schedules inaugural March 2028 update

The council voted to direct the Groundfish Management Team (GMT) to create a publicly accessible ecosystem‑component (EC) species mortality report on the PacFIN/Apex platform, with an inaugural council report scheduled for March 2028.

Heather Hall moved the motion to have the GMT develop the PacFIN report and to limit inaugural metrics to total mortality, total landings, and inflation‑adjusted ex‑vessel revenue reported by sector, with total mortality and landings shown as percent change from the previous year and relative to pre‑designation averages. "The report would serve as a regular update on the status of EC species mortality that is available on the public platform," Hall said in presenting the motion. The motion said the GMT should retain flexibility to update the report and provide more frequent updates as needed; the council approved the motion by voice vote.

GMT representatives had proposed hosting a standardized EC mortality product on PacFIN so the report is continuously accessible and to include metrics going back to about 2002 where available. The GMT emphasized uncertainty in some data (for example, not all EC species are recorded at species level on fish tickets) and recommended species‑by‑species consideration for any further review. Several council members and state representatives stressed that state monitoring responsibilities and regional databases (RecFIN/PacFIN/GEM) remain the critical foundation for any automated reporting.

The council asked that the GMT work with the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission on report development, allow the GMT latitude to refine metrics between now and March 2028, and not create a recurring agenda item at this time. The decision aims to ensure species flagged by the GMT are visible to the public and the council without creating an onerous recurring floor item.