Lack of qualified observers threatens to curtail longline fleet harvest of P cod
SEAFOODNEWS.COM by Peggy Parker Sept. 24, 2014
Freezer longliners, including vessels fishing for western Alaska coastal villages, have missed weeks of fishing this summer because no Lead Level 2 (LL2) observers were available for the trip. The fleet is concerned they will not be able to fish their quota of Pacific cod in this year’s B season if the problem is not addressed by NMFS.
When the Alaska observer program was redesigned and expanded to cover more boats a few years ago, the freezer longliner fleet was given two options for the 2013 season: take two observers, one of whom would meet LL 2 experience requirements, or take one LL 2 observer in combination with a flow scale that the crew would use to weigh all Pacific cod.
Most of the fleet went with option two and purchased the flow scale, at a cost of about $100,000 each. Prior to the final rule on the new observer program that requires LL2s, freezer longliners regularly carried LL2 observers on board.
“There were never any significant difficulties with securing LL2 observers for our fleet, and members appreciated the additional knowledge and familiarity with our fleet that LL2 observers brought on board,” says Chad See, FLC executive director. As a result, prior to the implementation of the final rule, using flow scales and cameras to monitor catch “increased observer data collection and monitoring … regardless of the qualifications of the observer on board,” See states in a letter...
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