Program Leader
Jonathan Cusick
Program Staff Directory
Observer Program FAQs
At-Sea Hake Observer Program
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An observer recording fish catch information at sea
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The West Coast Groundfish Observer Program includes the Observer Team
and collaborators from the PSMFC (Pacific States Marine Fisheries
Commission) that direct the program, train new observers, and manage
and analyze the bycatch data. As part of this program, fisheries
observers are placed on commercial fishing vessels to monitor and
record catch data, including species composition of retained and
discarded catch. Observers also collect critical biological data such
as fish length, sex, and weight. The program currently deploys about 40
observers coast wide on the permitted trawl and fixed-gear groundfish
fleet, as well as on some vessels that are part of the open-access
groundfish fleet. Observers improve our understanding of fishing
activities and help provide accurate accounts of total catch, bycatch,
and discard associated with different fisheries and fish stocks.
For more information on the Observer Program please see FAQs
and the documents below:
Contact Information
The West Coast Groundfish Observer Program can be contacted currently at the,
Fishery Resource Analysis & Monitoring Division of the NMFS Northwest Fisheries Science Center
1-866-780-8064. Our website is http://www.nwfsc.noaa.gov
with links to the West Coast Groundfish Observer Program. The Program's email
address is: NWFSC.observerprogram@noaa.gov
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