Through the Annual Determination, NOAA Fisheries identifies U.S. fisheries operating in the Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, and Pacific Ocean that will be required to take observers upon NOAA Fisheries' request.
We annually identify, per the Endangered Species Act (ESA), commercial or recreational fisheries operating in state and/or Federal waters in the Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, and Pacific Ocean that would be required to take sea turtle observers upon our request in order to:
The fisheries identified through the Annual Determination process will be required to carry sea turtle observers upon our request for a 5-year period. At the end of a 5-year period they may be relisted.
The Final 2023 Annual Determination (88 FR 4792) published on January 25, 2023 and listed two fisheries that required to take fisheries observers upon NOAA Fisheries’ request for a five-year period, through December 2027.
The Final 2022 Annual Determination (86 FR 52650; September 22, 2021) and Final 2021 Annual Determination (85 FR 60963; September 29, 2020) did not identify any additional fisheries.
We listed four fisheries on the 2020 Annual Determination published on August 31, 2020 (85 FR 53684) and these fisheries are required to take observers upon NOAA Fisheries’ request for a five-year period, until September 2025.
| Fishery | Years Eligible to Carry Observers |
|---|---|
| Trawl Fisheries | |
| Southeastern U.S. Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico shrimp trawl | 2020-2025 |
| Gulf of Mexico mixed species fish trawl | 2020-2025 |
| Gillnet Fisheries | |
| Chesapeake Bay inshore gillnet | 2020-2025 |
| Long Island inshore gillnet | 2020-2025 |
| Mid-Atlantic gillnet | 2023-2027 |
| Pound Net/Weir/Seine Fisheries | |
| Gulf of Mexico menhaden purse seine | 2023-2027 |
We consult with state partners to identify which commercial and recreational fisheries should be considered for inclusion on the Annual Determination. We then develop a proposed determination, which is published in the Federal Register and is available for public comment for 30 days. After considering all public comments, we publish a final Annual Determination.
We identify fisheries in the determination using the best available scientific, commercial, or other information regarding:
Specifically, this determination is based on the extent to which:
We use the most recent version of the MMPA List of Fisheries (LOF) as the comprehensive list of commercial fisheries for consideration. The LOF includes all known state and Federal commercial fisheries that occur in U.S. waters. However, the classification scheme used (categories based on marine mammal interaction) in the LOF is not applicable to this determination process.
The design of any observer program, including how observers are allocated to individual vessels, varies among:
The individual NOAA Fisheries Regional Office, Science Center, or observer program ultimately determines the program design. During the program design, we are guided by the following standards when determining observer distribution among identified fisheries and the placement of observers on vessels in those fisheries:
Fisheries not included on the determination may still be observed under a different authority than the ESA (for example, Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) or Magnuson-Stevens Act (MSA)).
Additional information on observer programs in commercial fisheries can be found on NOAA Fisheries' Fishery Observer Program website, including links to individual regional observer programs.
Commercial fishing in the Valdez, Alaska harbor.
Leatherback turtle in the Kei Islands. Credit: Scubazoo/Jason Isley
A hawksbill sea turtle swimming above a coral reef in western Maui in the Hawaiian Islands. Credit: NOAA Fisheries/Don McLeish. Photo taken under permit #21260.
