North East Pacific RSR-WG

 Update:
The North East Pacific Working Group has finalised a major collaborative review on the state of knowledge and management of deep-sea ecosystems in the North East Pacific. The manuscript brings together academics and government scientists from the US, Canada, and Mexico. The review identifies key knowledge and management gaps and will support new outputs, funding proposals, and future joint expeditions.

Group members have also been active across multiple deep-sea expeditions in the Canadian Pacific, Alaska, and off the US West Coast. The group recently met to discuss next steps and is now seeking funding for an in-person workshop to strengthen collaboration and plan future work.

Relevance to Challenger 150:
This review directly contributes to C150 goals on training, regional collaboration, and data mobilisation, and is strengthening partnerships with other Ocean Decade networks. The group has initiated discussions with MBON and OBIS to improve data standardisation and integration into open-access databases.

Upcoming Opportunities:
The group is now progressing several new initiatives, including the development of regional deep-ocean information sheets in English, local languages, and Indigenous languages, with the first planning meeting scheduled for January 2026. They are also exploring opportunities to organise an OBIS training workshop to build capacity in data mobilisation, and are actively seeking support for a future in-person regional workshop to advance collaborative priorities and proposal development.

Contact:
Dr. Fanny Girard — [email protected]