Pacific Albacore Troll Fishery
Program Coordinator: Lyle Enriquez
NMFS, Southwest Region
501 West Ocean Bvld.
Suite 4200
Long Beach, CA 90802-4213
(562) 980-4024
Observer Program Mandate and Authority
Mission of the program
To document byctach and discards of albacore. Also to collect data on illegal high seas drift gillnetting.
Fishery management
Federal
Authority to place observers
West Coast Highly Migratory Species Fishery Management Plan
Voluntary or mandatory
Mandatory
Funding source
Federal
Annual program costs
Program duration
January 2005 to present
Fishery Description
Target species
Albacore
Other commercially landed species
Dolphinfish, Skipjack Tuna, Yellowtail
Bycatch
Blue Shark
Incidental takes
None
Gear type
Hook and Line (Jigs/Live Bait)
Area of operation
Coastal CA/OR/WA, offshore North Pacific
Fleet size
>800 vessels
Size range of vessels
30 – 70 feet
Annual catch of target species
Number of fishing days per year
Season of operation
June - November
Observer Program Management
Brief overview of program structure
The Southwest Region - Long Beach Office is responsible for monitoring the California/Oregon drift gillnet fishery, California coastal pelagic purse seine fishery, the California HMS purse seine fishery, the California pelagic longline fishery, and the Pacific albacore fishery. Observer training is conducted in conjunction with Southwest Fisheries Science Center - La Jolla Laboratory, NOAA Fisheries enforcement, U.S. Coast Guard, and the fishing industry. 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 the regional management team uses observer data to help manage the pacific coast fisheries.
Service delivery type and function of each entity: NOAA Fisheries is responsible for observer training, debriefing, data entry, and data management. A NOAA Fisheries approved contractor is responsible for observer recruitment, monitoring vessel activity, observer deployment, logistics, insurance/benefits, and delivery of observer data to NOAA Fisheries. Vessel owners and operators are responsible for contacting the designated contractor to make arrangements for mandatory placement of NOAA Fisheries trained observers aboard their vessels.
Other participating agencies
Number of observers
10-12
Observers employed by
Average deployment length
5 – 20 days
Average observer retention rate
2.5 years
Observers unionized
No
Observer Coverage
Average number of fishing days
Unit and definition of fishing effort for purpose of estimating coverage
1 Day fished is considered 1 unit of effort
Percent observer coverage
<1%
