The objective was to provide guidance for studies planning for the next five years. The workshop began with the premise that much has been accomplished during the last decade of MMS socioeconomic research and that it is time to assess future directions for the program. The workshop sought advice, rather than consensus, on key questions, useful analytical approaches, and critical information needs. While the workshop was intended to identify specific information needs, MMS was seeking "strategic thinking" about issue selection, methodologies, and assessment goals. Issues related to specific socioeconomic modeling techniques were not addressed by this workshop.