AMJ 2000 Quarterly Rpt. AMJ 2000 sidebar
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The Role of
the North Pacific Groundfish Observer Program in the
Community Development Quota Program
(Quarterly
Report for April-May-June 2000)
by Todd M. Loomis
Martin Loefflad, Glenn Campbell, Alison Vijgen, and Mike Brown of the North Pacific Groundfish Observer Program.
The Community Development Quota
(CDQ) program, implemented by the National Marine
Fisheries Service (NMFS) in 1992, is designed to
provide western Alaska communities with greater
benefits resulting from commercial utilization of
the fishery resources of the Bering Sea. The
following article provides a brief description of
the evolution of the CDQ program and how the program
has affected the Alaska Fisheries Science Center’s
North Pacific Groundfish Observer Program and industry.
CDQ Program Evolution
The pollock CDQ program was established by the
North Pacific Fishery Management Council (NPFMC) as
part of the inshore/offshore walleye pollock
allocations in 1992. The program was developed
originally in an effort to enhance commercial
fishing activities in western Alaska communities
with limited economic opportunity. In the
first year of the program, 7.5% of the pollock total
allowable catch (TAC), approximately 100,000 metric
tons, was divided among 56 communities, organized
into six CDQ groups. According to the Bering
Sea Fishermen’s Association 1999-2000 Report, the
pollock CDQ program alone has generated
approximately $20 million in annual revenues for CDQ
groups since 1992.
With the success of pollock CDQ, the NPFMC expanded
the program several times. Allocations of
halibut and sablefish CDQ were made in 1994,
followed by crab and other groundfish species in
1995. The CDQ quota for all groundfish
species, with the exception of pollock, is set at
7.5% of their respective Total Allowable Catch
(TACs) as determined by NMFS. In 1999, the
American Fisheries Act expanded the CDQ pollock
quota to 10% of the TAC. Popular CDQ
groundfish target fisheries include pollock, Pacific
cod, Greenland turbot, Atka mackerel, yellowfin
sole, rock sole, and Pacific ocean perch. The
halibut and crab CDQ allocations are determined each
year by the International Pacific Halibut Commission
and the Alaska Department of Fish and Game
(ADF&G), respectively (Table 1 below).
Table 1. CDQ quotas
in metric tons for Pacific halibut,
Tanner crab, and select groundfish species
for 2000. |
Common name |
Scientific name |
Quota |
Pacific halibut |
Hippoglossus stenolepis |
1,3591 |
Tanner crab |
Chionoecetes opilio |
1,143 |
Sablefish |
Anoplopoma fimbria |
611 |
Walleye pollock |
Theragra chalcogramma |
114,200 |
Pacific cod |
Gadus macrocephalus |
14,475 |
Atka mackerel |
Pleurogrammus
monopterygius |
5,309 |
Yellowfin sole |
Limanda aspera |
9,244 |
Rock sole |
Lepidopsetta bileneata |
10,107 |
Greenland turbot |
Reinhardtius
hippoglossoides |
697 |
Arrowtooth flounder |
Atheresthes stomias |
9,825 |
Pacific ocean perch |
Sebastes alutus |
922 |
1weight of
fish headed and gutted. |
In order to
be eligible for the CDQ program and receive
allocations, communities must meet certain criteria.
Each community must:
-
be located within 50 nautical
miles of the Bering Sea
-
be an Alaskan Native community
-
have residents who conduct more
than half of their commercial or subsistence
fishing in the Bering Sea
-
have no previous processing or
harvesting capability beyond small boat
commercial fishing.
Currently 65
communities are eligible to receive CDQ allocations
(Figure 1 below).
Figure 1. Western Alaska CDQ communities and
groups
(click to enlarge).
Each CDQ group is
required to submit a Community Development Plan for
approval by the state of Alaska and NMFS. Proceeds
the communities receive from the allocations must be
used to start or support commercial fishery or
related businesses.
Today, as a result of CDQ revenues, many CDQ groups
own or partly own vessels and fishing companies.
CDQ groups also partner with independent
vessels to harvest much of their CDQ allocation.
In such situations, a vessel pays the group
royalties for the CDQ species it harvests. Unlike
open access fisheries, which are managed by pooling
data within areas and among all vessels
participating in a fishery, CDQ quotas are managed
individually by CDQ groups and collectively by NMFS.
In general, CDQ groups divide their quota
among several vessels, and those vessels are
responsible for monitoring the harvest of their
share. As a result, the CDQ program requires a
higher level of accountability than any other
fishery managed by NMFS. To monitor CDQ
quotas, NMFS and the CDQ groups use data collected
by NMFS-certified groundfish observers. While
observers work for independent companies that
contract with industry in order to meet proscribed
observer coverage requirements, their sampling
duties and field activities are established through
the North Pacific Groundfish Observer Program.
The Observer Program manages observer
training, field support, debriefing, data quality
assurance, and data management.
Effects on the Observer Program and Industry
Data collected by observers are used by the NMFS
Alaska Region Office to manage groundfish and
halibut CDQs. Observers collect vessel-specific
information on where fishing occurs, how much fish
is caught, the species composition of catch, and
other pertinent biological information. Observer
data is used exclusively to manage CDQ quotas on
catcher/processor vessels that discard some of their
catch at sea (non-target species). For this
reason, catcher/processor vessels are required to
have every CDQ set or haul sampled by an observer.
A combination of observer data and delivery
weights from processing facilities are used to
manage CDQs caught by non-trawl (longline and pot)
and trawl catcher vessels. These vessels
deliver all catch, with the exception of prohibited
species (salmon, halibut, herring, king crab, and
Tanner crab), to processing facilities where the
catch is weighed. For these vessels, observer
data are used to determine the amount of prohibited
species taken, whereas weights from the processing
facility are used to determine the amount of
remaining catch.
With assistance from the Observer Program, the NMFS
Alaska Region Office developed regulations
supporting CDQ fisheries monitoring and management
that specifically addressed:
-
observer coverage requirements
for vessels and plants
-
equipment and operational
requirements for vessels
-
observer training and experience
requirements.
In part, to
support CDQ catch accounting requirements, program
staff modified the design and implementation of the
observer data retrieval system. Each of these
issues are addressed in Table 2 below.
Table 2. Observer
coverage requirements by vessel type. |
Vessel Type |
CDQ Observer Coverage
Requirement |
Catcher vessel <60’ |
none |
Catcher vessel (non-trawl)
>60’ |
1 CDQ observer or 1 lead CDQ
observer1 |
Catcher vessel (trawl)
>60’ |
1 CDQ observer |
Catcher/processors and
motherships |
2 observers (1 lead CDQ and
1 CDQ observer) |
Shoreside processor |
1 CDQ observer |
1Non-trawl
catcher vessels are offered two options in
the regulations. If the vessel
chooses to sort at sea they are required to
provide an observer sampling station
and carry a lead CDQ observer. |
Observer
Coverage Requirements
Certain classes of
CDQ vessels are required to carry two CDQ observers,
while other classes and shoreside plants are
required to carry one (Table 2 above). These
requirements are based largely on the type of
fishing each vessel class does and the amount of
work an observer can be expected to do. Regulation
requires that every haul or set be sampled on
catcher/processors and motherships and that every
CDQ delivery be observed. Most vessels and
plants operate 24 hours per day, making it
impossible for one observer to complete the required
sampling duties under such conditions. Given
the CDQ catch-monitoring requirements and vessel
operations, catcher/processor and mothership vessels
are required to carry two CDQ certified observers
while catcher vessels, delivering unsorted catch to
shoreside processing plants, are required to carry
one. When two CDQ-qualified
and trained observers are present, one must
further qualify as a lead CDQ observer. Shoreside
plants are required to support a CDQ-qualified
observer when CDQ deliveries are made.
Equipment and Operational Requirements
Observer Program staff member
Kim DeMorett inspects a passage
on a trawl catcher/processor.
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Industry was
required to make significant changes in order to
participate in CDQ fisheries. Catcher/processors
(trawl and longline) and motherships have two
primary requirements. These vessel types are
required to have a NMFS-certified observer sampling
station and a motion-compensated platform scale.
In addition, trawl and mothership vessels are
required to have certified motion-compensated flow
scales.
The Observer
Program oversees the certification of observer
sampling stations, and the NMFS Alaska Region Office
administers the scale program. Each vessel
must be inspected annually prior to
participating in CDQ fisheries.
Observer sampling stations were first required on
catcher/
processor and mothership vessels in 1998. Sampling
stations are defined by specific criteria developed
by Observer Program staff and codified in the
regulations. Each station must include a
motion-compensated platform scale, accessible sample
collection points, must meet minimum space
requirements, and have a table, hose, adequate
lighting, and slip resistant flooring. Program staff
members have completed sampling station inspections
in Seattle, Tacoma, Bellingham, Seward, and Dutch
Harbor and in the past two years have inspected over
45 vessels and made more than 100 inspection-related
visits.These inspections have enabled the program to
perform outreach activities, which have increased
the amount of cooperation and communication between
the fishing industry and the Observer Program.
Motion-compensated scales have been used by industry
for years, but the CDQ program was the first to
require the scales be available for observer use.
Motion-compensated scales correct for vessel
motion by comparing the weight on two separate load
cells. The first load cell weighs the object
with an unknown weight (an observer’s sample)
while the second load cell weighs an object with a
known weight. The two weights are compared at
least 60 times per second, which enables the scale
to compensate for motion that would otherwise
produce an inaccurate weight reading. Flow
scales operate along the same principle, but also
monitor belt speed and incorporate that information
into the weight calculations as fish flow across the
load cell.
In the last few years, the Observer Program has made
many improvements to its information systems to
ensure the most accurate data is available for CDQ
groups to manage their fisheries. Through the
regulatory process there have also been many
improvements made to ensure that an observer’s
sample weights are as accurate as possible. Certified
observer sampling stations and motion-compensated
scales have greatly enhanced the ability of
observers to collect the best, possible data.
Experience and Training Requirements
Since 1998, NMFS has required that all observers
deployed in CDQ fisheries have prior observing
experience (Table 3 below), and each must complete a
CDQ training course. The experience
requirements ensure that an observer has worked in
similar observer conditions and that the Observer
Program has evaluated the observer’s performance
prior to training and deployment in a CDQ fishery.
In some cases, a lead CDQ observer is required
on a vessel participating in CDQ fisheries, as noted
above. Lead observers are typically more
experienced than regular CDQ observers, and they act
as the primary point of contact for vessel
personnel. Lead observers are also responsible
for returning to debriefing with all the data from a
given cruise. To qualify as a lead, an
observer must have completed at least two cruises
(cruises are limited to 90 days) and sampled a
defined number of hauls or sets (Table 3 below).
Table 3. Observer
experience requirements for CDQ fisheries |
CDQ Observer
Classification |
Experience Requirements |
All CDQ observers |
At least 60 days of data
collection with a minimum rating of 1 or 2
from their most recent debriefing
Successfully complete a CDQ
training course |
Lead observer factory
trawler or mothership |
At least 2 cruises and 100
sampled hauls on a factory trawler or
mothership |
Lead observer trawl catcher
vessel |
At least 2 cruises and 50
sampled hauls on a trawl catcher vessel |
Lead observer non-
trawl catcher vessel |
At least 2 cruises and 60
sampled sets on a non-trawl vessel |
Once an
observer meets the basic experience requirements
they can be enrolled in CDQ observer training.
The CDQ training course is designed to
introduce new concepts and build upon existing
skills. Much of the training material consists
of regulatory information and instructional
information on conflict resolution, random sampling,
and time management. Topics such as time management
and conflict resolution are taught now to all
observers, but they were first taught to CDQ
observers because Observer Program staff felt the
additional regulatory requirements of CDQ could
potentially create a hostile environment on some
vessels. Several CDQ training courses have
been held at the Observer Program facility in
Seattle, but most observers train at the North
Pacific Observer Training Center, University of
Alaska Anchorage. Since 1998, over 150
observers have successfully completed CDQ training
and been deployed to CDQ fisheries.
Meeting the vessel- and plant-specific experience
prerequisites before entering CDQ training created a
need for observer contracting companies to gather
work histories for nearly all their observers.
Typically, the companies requested this
information directly from the Observer Program.
The Observer Program developed a series of
database queries that determine the number of days
an observer has spent at processing facilities and
the number of days sampled on each vessel type.
For each data request, a report is submitted
to the observer contracting company to determine if
the observer is qualified for CDQ training, as well
as for which vessel type the observer can qualify as
“lead.” To date, information resulting
from more than 100 such queries has been provided to
observer companies.
Data Transmission and Management
A critical aspect of the Observer Program’s
role in development of the CDQ program has been
the design and implementation of a data
retrieval system by which CDQ groups and vessels can
access CDQ catch information. Because each
vessel is accountable for its catch, a real-time
tracking system with the most recent data available
is imperative. While vessels are fishing,
observers sample the catch and enter data into a
computer. Information on how much fish is caught,
the species composition of that catch, and which
group’s quota each set or haul should accrue
against are entered into the Observer Program’s
at-sea data reporting application, the ATLAS
program.
The ATLAS program, developed by Observer Program
staff, has several components that allow real-time
tracking and data editing. ATLAS is required on all
catcher/processors harvesting CDQ, on motherships
receiving CDQ, and at shoreside processing plants
that receive CDQ deliveries. Catcher vessels
are not required to have the ATLAS program. Staff
have traveled to Dutch Harbor, Kodiak, Seward and
other remote locations in Alaska, as well as ports
throughout the Seattle area to install ATLAS. To
date, program staff have installed ATLAS on 83
vessels and at 15 shoreside processors. The
software is also used by observers during
open-access fisheries.
Observers on catcher/processors and motherships are
required to send electronic data to the Observer
Program office in Seattle once per day. Observers
transmit data using an automated process by which
the vessel’s computer modem connects to a computer
in Seattle via satellite. Once the data are
received at the Observer Program office they are
loaded into a database available to NMFS users.
CDQ groups and vessels are also able to access
the data via a web site, developed and maintained by
Observer Program staff. Through the web site,
vessels and CDQ groups access their catch
information and use it to track CDQ quotas to
determine when they must cease fishing. Each
vessel’s data are protected by a username and
password for security purposes. Data that are
available on the web site include raw observer
sample data and observer data extrapolated up to the
total catch. This state-of-the-art CDQ data
retrieval system has received much interest from
industry and NMFS.
Data Quality Assurance
The ATLAS program not only allows observers to
enter and transmit their data from sea, it also
provides them e-mail communication with Observer
Program staff. Eighteen Observer Program
staff are assigned from four to nine vessels or
shoreside processors for which they act as the
inseason advisor. Observers at sea have the
ability to ask questions about data collection
protocols, and staff can view data an observer has
submitted and send corrections or questions to the
observer. Development of the ATLAS software
and implementation of inseason advising has greatly
increased the accuracy of data used to manage open
access and CDQ fisheries. In contrast,
observers on catcher vessels without ATLAS fill out
forms and fax them to the Seattle office at the
completion of each fishing trip. Currently,
about 40 catcher vessels are approved to fish CDQ.
Faxed data are entered into the database by
program staff in Seattle and made available on the
program’s web site.
Inseason advisors from the Observer Program monitor
each observer’s work while they are at sea and
debrief observers upon their return. During
debriefing interviews, which typically last from one
to five days, each observer’s methods are
reviewed, data corrections are made, and the
finalized data are loaded into the database. The
Observer Program puts considerable effort into each
cruise a CDQ observer completes: from ensuring that
the observer is qualified and trained, to verifying
that the vessel has the necessary communications and
sampling equipment available, to debriefing the
observer upon return. The Observer Program’s
goal is to provide the highest quality data possible
in a timely, professional manner. Close
coordination is maintained with the CDQ management
group at the NMFS Alaska Region Office regarding
issues of data quality, program management, and
observer support.
Conclusion
The CDQ program has expanded the boundaries of
the North Pacific Groundfish Observer Program and
its staff in recent years. Staff interactions and
commentary with industry, observers, and the Alaska
Region Office have increased as a result. Observer
Program staff have consistently met the challenges
posed by the fishery with the highest level of
accountability of any fishery managed by NMFS.
Development and implementation of advanced
training for CDQ observers, the ATLAS program,
inseason advising, and the vessel inspection program
are examples of how the Observer Program has risen
to these challenges. The new technologies and
monitoring systems that were developed by the
Observer Program guarantee only the most recent and
accurate information possible are used to manage one
of the world’s most lucrative fisheries.
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