CALIFORNIA/OREGON SWORDFISH DRIFT GILLNET FISHERY

Lyle Enriquez, Program Coordinator, NMFS, Southwest Region, 501 West Ocean Bvld., Suite 4200, Long Beach, CA 90802-4213, (562) 980-4025, Lyle.Enriquez@noaa.gov

Observer Program Mandate and Authority

Mission of the Program: To document the incidental take of marine mammals, sea turtles, seabirds, target and non-target fish species. To collect selected biological specimens.

Fishery management: Federal and State (California Department of Fish & Game; Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife).

Mandatory Authority to place observers: Marine Mammal Protection Act, Category I Fishery

Program duration: July 1990 to present.

Annual program costs: Agency costs US $550,000.

Funding source(s): Government funded (Base, $500,000 Recover Protected Species funds).

Government staffing: Management - 2 FTE's (Full Time Equivalent).

Fishery Description

Target species: Swordfish and thresher shark (common, bigeye).

Other commercially landed species: Mako shark, opah, louvar, and tunas (albacore, bluefin, yellowfin).

Bycatch: Blue shark and common mola.

Incidental takes:

Cetaceans: Sperm whale, Humpback whale, Fin whale, short-finned pilot whale, Minke whale, short-beaked common dolphin, long-beaked common dolphin, Risso's dolphin, Dall's porpoise, Pacific white-sided dolphin, northern right whale dolphin.

Pinnipeds: California sea lion and northern elephant seal.

Sea turtles: Leatherback and loggerhead.

Fleet size: Marine Mammal Authorization Certificates are held by 95 vessels, approximately 75 are active. Vessels are 35-65 feet long.

Gear: Drift gillnets range in length from 800 fathoms, to the maximum allowable 1000 fathoms. The stretched mesh size of a drift gillnet is typically between 18 and 21 inches.

Season of operation: The fishery is closed within 200 miles of the coast of California and Oregon from February 1 to April 30. From May 1 to August 14 the closure changes to 75 miles offshore. Most fishing occurs between August 15 and January 31, when closure restrictions are lifted. The majority of fishing effort takes place from October through December.

Observer Program Management

Brief overview of program structure: The Southwest Region - Long Beach Office, is responsible for monitoring the California/Oregon swordfish drift gillnet fishery. Observer training is conducted in conjunction with Southwest Fisheries Science Center - La Jolla Laboratory, Los Angeles County Natural History Museum, NMFS enforcement, U.S. Coast Guard, and the fishing industry. By March 2003, 151 biological technicians have been hired, trained and 1176 trips (6,719 sets) completed. During the 2002-03 fishing season, there were 16 observers observing the swordfish drift gillnet fleet. Trips typically last 6 to 20 days. The Southwest Fisheries Science Center receives the observer data to calculate estimates of incidental take rates of marine mammals in preparation of the Annual Stock Assessment Reports.

Service delivery type and function of each entity: NMFS is responsible for observer training, initial debriefing, and data management. A NMFS approved contractor is responsible for observer recruitment, monitoring vessel activity, observer deployment, logistics, insurance/benefits, and delivery of observer data to NMFS. Vessel owners and operators are responsible for contacting the designated contractor to make arrangements for mandatory placement of NMFS trained observers aboard their vessels.

Other participating agencies: Through a cooperative agreement with the California Department of Fish and Game, total annual fishing effort is calculated for use in estimating total marine mammal mortality.

Observer Coverage

Unit and definition of fishing effort for purpose of estimating coverage: Drift gillnet vessels in this fleet make a single net-pull (e.g., set) each day, thus each day that a vessel makes a set is a sampling unit.

Fraction of fishing activity observed: Approximately 21 percent of the total fishing effort.