9554 Foreign Fishing Observer Data Project Published / External 7282 Fisheries Management and Analysis Division Project In Work The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) began placing observers on foreign fishing vessels operating off the northwest and Alaskan coasts of the United States in 1973, creating the North Pacific Foreign Fisheries Observer Program. Initially, observers were placed on vessels only upon invitation by host countries. In the early years of the program the primary purposes of observers were to determine incidental catch rates of Pacific halibut in groundfish catches and to verify catch statistics in the Japanese crab fishery. Later, observers collected data on the incidence of king crab, snow (Tanner) crab, and Pacific salmon, and obtained biological data on other important species. Following the implementation of the Magnuson Fishery Conservation and Management Act of 1976, which mandated that fishery observers be placed on foreign fishing vessels operating within the US 200-mile Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) off the Alaska coast of the Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska, observer coverage rapidly expanded. In 1978, American fishers began fishing for groundfish in joint ventures with foreign processing vessels. By 1986, the foreign fisheries that were not joint-venture were halted, and by 1991, joint-venture foreign fishing within the 200 mile Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of the Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska was terminated, while the US domestic groundfish fisheries began. http://doc.aoos.org/other_meetings/2008/01.08_vos_workshop/Observerprogramsummary.ppt#394,3,History ? 1970s and 1980s Theme Foreign Fishing Theme Observer Spatial BSAI Spatial Bering Sea Spatial GOA Metadata Contact 2007-09-15 Person Narita, Renold E ren.narita@noaa.gov 206 526 4053 Publisher 2007-09-15 Person Blair, Julie A julie.blair@noaa.gov 7600 Sandpoint Way NE Seattle WA 98115 USA 206 526 4053 (206)526-4066 0700-1630 -180 -130 60 30 Bering Sea, Aleutian Islands, Gulf of Alaska, West Coast of the United States. Range 1973 1986 Duration of Foreign Fishery Observer Deployments Confidential MSA confidentiality requirements Static, changes not allowed Purpose and Confidentiality Agreements Must Be on File Purpose and Confidentiality Agreements Must Be on File None None 9556 Data Set gov.noaa.nmfs.inport:9554 Doug Turnbull 2009-06-29T14:37:14 SysAdmin InPortAdmin 2022-08-09T17:11:02 2016-05-18 Alaska Fisheries Science Center AFSC 7600 Sand Point Way N.E., Building 4 Seattle WA 98115 USA https://www.afsc.noaa.gov 0700-1700 Pacific Time 1001 Public No 2016-05-18 1 Year 2017-05-18