fisheries observer

A fisheries observer is an independent specialist who serves on board commercial fishing vessels, or in fish processing plants and other platforms, and is employed by a fisheries observer program, either directly by a government agency or by a third party contractor, such as the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization. Observers spend anywhere from one day to three months with the vessel, recording data on catch composition, biological sampling, and fishing activity. After returning to land, the observer is debriefed, which involves reviewing any unusual occurrences or observations, violations observed, and any safety problems or other hardships they endured during the trip. These data are then integrated into the regional agency’s database used to monitor fish quotas. Observers are us...