California/Oregon Drift Gillnet Fishery
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.
Fishery management
Federal and State (California Department of Fish & Game, Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife).
Authority to place observers
Marine Mammal Protection Act, Category I Fishery. West Coast Highly Migratory Species Fishery Management Plan.
Voluntary or mandatory
Mandatory
Funding source
Federal
Annual program costs
Program duration
July 1990 to present
Fishery Description
Target species
Swordfish and common thresher shark
Other commercially landed species
Mako shark, opah, 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.
Gear type
Drift gillnet
Area of operation
Fleet size
Marine Mammal Authorization Certificates are held by 95 vessels, approximately 50 are active.
Size range of vessels
Vessels are 35-65 feet long
Annual catch of target species
Number of fishing days per year
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 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 Fisheriesapproved 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
Observers employed by
Average deployment length
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
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.
Percent observer coverage
20%
