We are delighted to invite you to participate in the 4th PICES Workshop on Okhotsk Sea and Adjacent Areas. At PICES XVI in Victoria, at the recommendation of Science Board, Governing Council approved a proposal to hold the 4th PICES Workshop on "The Okhotsk Sea and adjacent areas" from 27-29 August, 2008, at the Abashiri Campus of Tokyo University of Agriculture, in Abashiri, Japan.

The main goals of the workshop are to develop an Okhotsk Sea component of the PICES/FUTURE Science Program. This workshop will:

		bring together a team of international scientists having interest in the Okhotsk Sea and adjacent areas and the marine ecosystems embraced by them, under concerns on increasing impacts of climate changes,
		review and exchange ‘What is known’, and
		identify key scientific questions and necessary approaches.

We look forward meeting you in Abashiri, Japan. You will enjoy an excellent scientific program on the Okhotsk Sea and face-to-face communication with potential collaborators at the shore of the Okhotsk Sea.

Sincerely yours,
Gennady KANTAKOV and Makoto KASHIWAI (Co-Convenors)