 |
|
Observer Program Mandate
and Authority
|
| Mission of
the Program |
Collect data on effort,
directed catch and bycatch quantity, morphometrics,
biological characteristics, and interaction with marine
mammals, turtles, and birds as they relate to federal
fisheries regulations. |
| Fishery management |
Federal. |
| Authority to place observers |
Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation
and Management Act, Swordfish Fisheries Management
Plan (50 CFR part 630; 1992-5/28/99) and the Highly
Migratory Species Fishery Management Plan (50 CFR part
635; 5/28/99-present), as well as the Marine Mammal
Protection Act and Endangered Species Act. |
| Voluntary or mandatory |
Mandatory |
| Funding Source |
Federal |
| Annual Program Costs |
|
| Program duration |
May 1992 to present. |
|
Fishery Description
|
| Target species |
Swordfish directed fishery harvested
inside and outside the U.S. EEZ primarily in the North
Atlantic Ocean (above 5 deg. N Latitude) with some
operations extending to the equator. |
| Other commercially landed
species |
Yellowfin tuna, bigeye tuna, albacore
tuna, dolphinfish (mahi), shortfin mako, porbeagle,
and other shark species (fin market). |
| Bycatch |
Wide variety of species including
billfish (prohibited by FMP), sharks (prohibited by
periodic FMP closures), bluefin tuna (FMP quota restrictions),
and escolar. Marine mammals, turtles, and sea birds
as protected species bycatch. Other commercially nonvaluable
species including oilfish, lancetfish, occasional rays
and rare species (cubiceps, ringed dogfish, etc.). |
| Incidental takes |
|
| Gear Type |
Pelagic Longline |
| Area of Operation |
|
| Fleet size |
Over 1000 swordfish permit holders.
Longline fleet consists of 250-300 vessels with 150-200
vessels active all year. |
| Size Range of Vessels |
|
| Annual catch of target
species |
|
| Number of fishing days
per year |
|
| Season of
operation |
Year-round (closures subject
to swordfish quota and bycatch quota limits). |
|
Observer Program Management
|
| Brief
overview of program structure |
The SEFSC
Miami Laboratory is responsible for the administration
of the Pelagic Longline Observer Program. The coordinators
hire observer personnel under contractual agreements
(10 individuals on average) and provide the observer
support services (training, observer gear, documents,
debriefing, data entry). Program coordinators are
responsible for maintaining data storage and retrieval,
quality control, and administrative support.
Service delivery type and function of each
entry:
NMFS is responsible for funding and overall administration
of the observer program including observer training,
debriefing, data management, and data analyses.
Program coordinators are responsible for arranging
placement of NMFS certified contractors aboard
vessels, including logistics and travel support
of observers to vessels selected for coverage.
All administrative support is provided by the coordinators
and agency. |
| Other participating agencies |
|
| Number of Observers |
|
| Observers Employed by |
IAP World Services |
| Average Deployment Length |
|
| Average Observer Retention
Rate |
|
| Observers
Unionized |
No |
|
Observer Coverage
|
| Average number
of fishing days |
|
| Unit and definition of
fishing effort for purpose of estimating coverage |
Coverage is based on number
of sets reported by the U.S. pelagic longline fleet
in 11 geographical regions of the North Atlantic
Ocean (north of 5 deg. N latitude).
|
| Percent Observer Coverage |
Five
percent coverage by set effort is the sampling target.
The sampling fraction has varied
from 1992 to 1998 has varied from 2.5% to >5%, depending
on available resources. |
|
|
