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Bycatch Reduction
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Not everything caught by a fishing vessel is kept. In many cases,
fishing vessels discard (throw back) undersized or unmarketable fish
and other species. Some protected and regulated species cannot
be kept by law: these are also discarded. In other cases, the
fishing vessel has reached its total allowable catch (TAC) for a species,
so any additional catch of that species must be discarded. Depending
on the fishery, discards may be live or dead.
Observer programs are the primary source for discard data in the U.S. While
on board commercial fishing vessels, observers record the type and amount
of discards as well as the reason for discarding. Without this
information we would have an incomplete picture of fishing impacts. High
levels of discards, particularly of commercial and ecologically valuable
species, may indicate a need to alter fishing activities or gear to
reduce the impact of fishing on the marine environment.
For more information:
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Generating stock assessments
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NMFS scientists periodically evaluate fish stocks to monitor their size
and health. The resulting “stock assessments” determine
whether changes in the population are due to natural or human-related
causes and predict future trends in the population. These assessments
drive the fisheries management process and enable managers to set catch
levels, maintain healthy fish populations, and rebuild overfished stocks
as directed by the Magnuson Stevens Act. The stock assessment process
requires detailed information for each species, including size, age, gender,
and number caught. NMFS Fishery biologists use the information
provided by observer programs, along with other data sources
such as research cruises and fishermen-reported data, to complete a stock
assessment.
For more information:
 Estimating takes of marine mammals and other protected species
Data collected on fishery interactions with protected
species (marine mammals, sea turtles, certain populations
of fish, and endangered seabirds) aid scientists
in developing measures to reduce the risk of fisheries
interactions. The information collected
by fisheries observers allows scientists to monitor
the health of marine mammal and protected species
populations, fulfilling agency mandates under the
Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) and the Endangered
Species Act (ESA).
Biological data, such
as estimates of the total number, age, and gender,
of animals incidentally killed or seriously injured during the course
of commercial fishing operations are used by NMFS Take Reduction Teams
when developing federally mandated Take Reduction Plans (TRPs). These plans are developed to assist in the recovery
or prevent the depletion of certain strategic marine mammal stocks
(the term “take” is used to describe fisheries interactions
not permitted under the Marine Mammal Protection Act or Endangered
Species Act). Similarly, biological data on capture and discard
rates of fish species are an important component of recovery plans
developed for threatened and endangered species under the Endangered
Species Act.
For more information:
 Monitoring
experimental fisheries and gear types, including bycatch reduction
devices
The fishing industry constantly evolves as new technology is developed
and new markets open. Observer programs offer a means to collect
information on the impacts of changes in fishing activity and gear types. Observers
are often included as a condition of federal Exempted Fishing Permits
(EFPs). EFPs are issued to test modifications to fishing gear,
such as bycatch reduction devices. An EFP may also be issued when
a fishery develops to fill a new market. In all of these cases,
observers provide a means of collecting reliable scientific data, allowing
fisheries managers to make balanced decisions on the potential benefits
and impacts of the experiment. In the past, observer data collected
under EFPs has led to the development of bycatch reduction devices such
as the Turtle Excluder Devices (TED) in the Southeastern U.S. shrimp trawl
fishery and the implementation of acoustic deterrents (“pingers”)
to reduce harbor porpoise bycatch in the Northeast and Southwest.
Providing data used to enforce fisheries regulations
Most observer programs are authorized through federal fisheries
management plans (FMPs), which are administered by regional
councils. Each FMP outlines
what measures will be used to regulate the fishery. Observer data are
critical to the success of FMP regulations such as quotas, caps, and discard
allocations. For example, when the amount of a specific fish species that
can be caught has been specified by a “total allowable catch” (or
TAC) level, observer data are used during the fishing season to project when
the cap has been reached. For rebuilding species, such as New England groundfish,
preseason target catch numbers are provided to the management team. After
the fishing season has passed, observer data are evaluated and compared to the
preseason targets to evaluate total mortality. The next season’s
targets are adjusted correspondingly. NMFS may also cap the number of marine
mammals, sea turtles, or sea birds incidentally caught by the fishery. Observer
data are used to estimate when that number has been reached. If it is reached
before the fishing season ends, the fishery may be closed early.
For more information:
Looking for the Observer Bibliography? Click
Here!
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