Author: Craig Howard FauncePublisher:
ISBN:
Category : Fisheries
Languages : en
Pages : 0
Book Description
The Observer Declare and Deploy System of the Alaska Fisheries Science Center
Author: Craig Howard FauncePublisher:
ISBN:
Category : Fisheries
Languages : en
Pages : 0
Book Description
North Pacific Observer Program 2016 Annual Report
Author: Alaska Fisheries Science Center (U.S.). Fisheries Monitoring and Analysis DivisionPublisher:
ISBN:
Category : Fishery management
Languages : en
Pages : 143
Book Description
"This Annual Report provides information, analysis, and recommendations based on the deployment of observers by the North Pacific Observer Program (Observer Program) during 2016. The Observer Program provides the regulatory framework for National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS)-certified observers to obtain information necessary to conserve and manage the groundfish and halibut fisheries in the Gulf of Alaska (GOA) and the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands (BSAI) management areas. Data collected by well-trained, independent observers are a cornerstone of management of the Federal fisheries off Alaska. These data are needed by the North Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) and NMFS to comply with the Magnuson--Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, the Marine Mammal Protection Act, the Endangered Species Act, and other applicable Federal laws and treaties. Each year NMFS releases an Annual Deployment Plan (ADP) that describes how NMFS plans to deploy observers to vessels and processors in the partial observer coverage category in the upcoming year. The following year, the agency provides an Annual Report with descriptive information and scientific evaluation the deployment of observers. The ADP and Annual Report process provides information to assess whether the objectives of the Observer Program have been met and a process to make recommendations to improve implementation of the program to further these objectives"--Executive Summary. [doi:10.7289/V5AFSC-PR-2017-07 (
Deployment Performance Review of the 2015 North Pacific Groundfish and Halibut Observer Program
Author: Craig Howard FauncePublisher:
ISBN:
Category : Fishing boats
Languages : en
Pages : 54
Book Description
This report contains the analyses and findings of the Alaska Fisheries Science Center's Fisheries Monitoring and Analysis Division’s Observer Science Committee on the efficiency and effectiveness of observer deployment following the 2015 Annual Deployment Plan (ADP). Responses to comments by the North Pacific Fishery Management Council’s Science and Statistical Committee from the 2014 version of this report are also included. In 2015, observers were deployed and collected data for 5,318 days - 3.6% fewer days than were budgeted for and predicted in the 2015 ADP. In total, 4,859 trips (39.1%) were observed on 498 vessels belonging to five strata (two trip-selection strata - a "t" stratum comprised of fixed gear catcher vessels 40-57.5 feet in length and a "T" stratum defined by larger catcher vessels, an EM voluntary stratum, a full-coverage stratum, and a zero-coverage stratum). All partial coverage strata had coverage rates within expected ranges with the exception of the new EM Voluntary (EM) stratum that had two observed trips although the selection rate was zero. Overall selection rates in the Observer Declare and Deploy System (ODDS) were as expected for each trip-selection stratum. The proportion of trips selected computed using the initial observer-status (selected or not selected for coverage) of logged trips differed from the proportion selected using the final observer-status after trips are cancelled or dates have been changed. Trips that were selected to be observed were cancelled at a higher rate than unselected trips. Despite this behavior, a temporal bias was not evident in the trips belonging to either trip-selection strata. Spatial bias was evident in the t stratum with coverage rates lower than expected in four NMFS areas. There was some evidence of an observer effect in the partial coverage category. In particular, observed trips were 8 - 14% shorter in both trip-selection strata and landed catch was 1% less diverse in the T stratum than unobserved trips. Observers monitor deliveries of trawl-caught walleye pollock (Gadus chalcogrammus) at Shoreside processing plants and collect genetic tissue samples from salmon bycatch. Although all pollock deliveries were monitored in the full coverage pollock fishery, coverage rates were below expected in the partial coverage category due to tendering activity at King Cove. Tendered trips were found to have different trip characteristics than non-tendered trips. There was some evidence of an observer effect within partial coverage tendered trips. Tendered trips landed 33-101% fewer fish, by weight, when observed and landed catch with 25% less species in the t stratum than unobserved tendered trips. In the T stratum, observed tendered trips were also 51% shorter than unobserved tendered trips. Similarly, for nontendered trips, observed trips were 3-5% shorter and fishing occurred in 3% fewer areas in the t stratum and were 1% less diverse in the T stratum. We examined the probability of having no observer coverage as a function of how many trips were in a NMFS area for each partial coverage stratum. The probability of having no data from a NMFS area decreased as total effort and sampling rate increased. While this result is not surprising, it highlights that the smaller the population of interest (e.g., fishing activities in a NMFS area), the higher the overall coverage rate needs to be in order to meet observer coverage goals and to obtain data that are representative of all fishing activities. Based on these combined results, we support the continued implementation and expansion of tLandings to document unobserved tendered deliveries, and make four recommendations to improve the 2017 ADP. The recommendations are: 1) tendered vessels should be evaluated as separate strata, 2) the treatment of partial coverage catcher processors should be evaluated as separate strata, 3) sampling rates should be high enough that the probability of achieving three observed trips in each NMFS Area is low, and 4) NMFS should work with its partial coverage contractor to explore the possibility of eliminating trip cancellations in ODDS. [doi:10.7289/V5/TM-AFSC-322 (http://dx.doi.org/10.7289/V5/TM-AFSC-322)]
An Initial Analysis of Alternative Sample Designs for the Deployment of Observers in Alaska
Author: Craig Howard FauncePublisher:
ISBN:
Category : Bycatches (Fisheries)
Languages : en
Pages : 33
Book Description
Changes in regulation enacted in 2013 have enabled the Alaska Fisheries Science Center's Fishery Monitoring and Analysis Division (FMA) and Alaska Regional Office's Sustainable Fisheries Division to work collaboratively on an Annual Deployment Plan (ADP). Each ADP documents how the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) plans to deploy observers into fishing activities for the coming year under the limits of available funding. Draft ADPs are presented to the North Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) during September - October and are finalized in December. The sampling design for observer deployment has two elements: how the population is subdivided (i.e., stratification schemes) and how available samples are allocated (i.e., allocation strategies). Here the relative performance of 12 alternative sampling designs for the deployment of observers into at-sea operations are compared in support of the 2016 draft ADP. These designs were defined by combinations of six potential stratifications and whether allocations were proportional to effort (defined by trips) or to reduce the weighted variance of total groundfish retained and discarded ('optimal') allocation. Performance metrics included a gap analyses as well as single-stage estimates of precision and accuracy. These three metrics were combined into a single score for design comparison. Gap analysis scores were used in a 'hurdle-model' approach for final design evaluations. The four designs with above-average gap analyses and final scores were proposed for consideration in the draft 2016 ADP; two of these stratified by gear (Trawl, Hook and Line, and Pot). Preliminary anticipated coverage rates were generated for the four candidate designs. For the draft 2016 ADP, the NMFS proposed that the sample design for the observer deployment be defined in units of trips stratified by three gear types with sample sizes allocated according to a blended optimal allocation strategy. At their October 2016 meeting, the Council supported this design for the final 2016 ADP. [doi:10.7289/V5/TM-AFSC-307 (http://dx.doi.org/10.7289/V5/TM-AFSC-307)]
Species Identification in the North Pacific Observer Program
Author: Duane E. StevensonPublisher:
ISBN:
Category : Fisheries
Languages : en
Pages : 37
Book Description
The Alaska Fisheries Science Center’s Fisheries Monitoring and Analysis Division is responsible for development, implementation, and continuing operation of the North Pacific Observer Program. Observers in this Program are expected to accurately and consistently identify all commercially important fish and crab species as well as numerous other species, including forage fishes, elasmobranchs, and some species of sculpins. Because consistently accurate species identifications are such a critical facet of observer data collection, the Observer Program has implemented a series of policies and procedures to ensure that the species composition data collected by observers are as accurate and complete as possible. This document provides an overview of those procedures and policies. It is organized in three sections that correspond with the three phases of an observer's deployment sequence. The first section covers hiring and pre-deployment training, including hiring prerequisites, training procedures, certification exams, and field identification materials. The second section covers the actual deployment period, including species and species groups identified, confirmation procedures, in season advising, and the special cases of species groupings used for longline data. The third and final section covers post-deployment debriefing and quality control measures, such as error checks, staff review of species identification forms, photographs, and collected specimens, and the evaluation of observer performance. [doi:10.7289/V5/AFSC-PR-2016-04 (http://dx.doi.org/10.7289/V5/AFSC-PR-2016-04 )]
Alternative Sampling Designs for the 2018 Annual Deployment Plan of the North Pacific Observer Program
Author: Jane Y. SullivanPublisher:
ISBN:
Category : Fisheries
Languages : en
Pages : 30
Book Description
Changes in regulation enacted in 2013 have enabled the Alaska Fisheries Science Center's Fishery Monitoring and Analysis Division (FMA) and the Alaska Regional Office's Sustainable Fisheries Division to work collaboratively on an Annual Deployment Plan (ADP). Each ADP documents how the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) plans to deploy observers into fishing activities for the coming year under the limits of available funding. Draft ADPs are presented to the North Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) during September - October and are finalized in December. The sampling design for observer deployment has two elements: how the population is subdivided (i.e., stratification schemes) and how available samples are allocated (i.e., allocation strategies). Here the relative performance of 10 alternative sampling designs (at the primary sampling unit- the trip) are compared in support of the draft 2018 ADP. These alternative sampling designs consisted of the combination of two stratification schemes (gear-type only or gear-type × tendering activity), two metrics upon which to base optimizations [one consisting of discard of groundfish with Prohibited Species Catch (PSC) of Pacific halibut and the other consisting of the prior and PSC of Chinook salmon], and three allocation strategies (no optimization, a "hurdle" approach to optimization, and a optimization only). All optimization allocations incorporate three variables measured over the past 3 years: variance in the metric, the average cost of observing a trip, and the number of trips. Total afforded sample size is determined by the available budget and the average cost of observing each trip. Resulting selection rates derive from sample size, allocation weightings and the anticipated fishing effort which was defined as the most recent complete year of data. The total number of observer days that can be afforded is 4,062 which represents a 33% increase from 2017. Gap analyses that examine the chance of at least one or three observed trips in a NMFS Area × gear type combination (cell) were used as a performance metric. Gap analyses illustrated that stratifications based on gear type (3 strata) were outperformed by stratifications based on gear type × tendering activity (6 strata). Potential gaps in observer coverage appear to be mostly concentrated in areas with low fishing effort with fewer than 12 trips in a cell. Simulations were performed to measure the potential impact of unknown vessel participation in electronic monitoring (EM). The variability in gap analyses from randomized differences in EM participant vessels was relatively minor (less than 10% probability of observation shifts across deployment designs). The NMFS recommended an observer deployment design for the draft 2018 ADP that has gear type × tendering stratification and uses a "hurdle" approach to sample allocation wherein 15% base coverage is obtained first across all strata and the remainder is optimized according to the variance in the metric of discarded groundfish catch combined with PSC Pacific halibut and Chinook salmon. At their October 2017 meeting the Council did not support the NMFS recommendation and instead proposed a five strata design with optimal sample allocations based on discarded groundfish catch and PSC of Pacific halibut only. Comparisons between the NMFS and Council recommended designs were included in the final 2018 ADP. [doi:10.7289/V5/TM-AFSC-364 (https://doi.org/10.7289/V5/TM-AFSC-364)]
Proceedings of the First Biennial Canada/United States Observer Program Workshop
Author: Improving Fish Stock Assessments
Author: National Research CouncilPublisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309174406
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 194
Book Description
Ocean harvests have plateaued worldwide and many important commercial stocks have been depleted. This has caused great concern among scientists, fishery managers, the fishing community, and the public. This book evaluates the major models used for estimating the size and structure of marine fish populations (stock assessments) and changes in populations over time. It demonstrates how problems that may occur in fisheries dataâ€"for example underreporting or changes in the likelihood that fish can be caught with a given type of gearâ€"can seriously degrade the quality of stock assessments. The volume makes recommendations for means to improve stock assessments and their use in fishery management.
Fishers' Knowledge in Fisheries Science and Management
Author: Nigel HagganPublisher: United Nations Educational, Scientific & Cultural Organization
ISBN:
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 444
Book Description
Drawing on a number of case studies from around the world, this publication considers how the local knowledge and practices of indigenous fishing communities are being used in collaboration with scientists, government managers and non-governmental organisations to establish effective frameworks for sustainable fisheries science and management. It seeks to contribute towards achieving the goal of establishing international responsibility for the ethical collection, preservation, dissemination and application of fishers' knowledge.
Molecular Genetics of Marine Mammals
Author: Andrew E. DizonPublisher:
ISBN:
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 404
Book Description