At-Sea Observer Program

Mandate and responsibilities

The Quebec Region Conservation and Protection Directorate manages the At-Sea Observer Program.

At-sea observers are independent, DFO-accredited technicians who collect detailed fisheries-related data on board Canadian and foreign vessels.

The At-Sea Observer Program allows for the collection of detailed, geographically co-ordinated information on the fishing effort, catches and discard at sea. This information, which would be difficult to collect through other programs, allows the DFO to meet its information needs in a number of areas:

• Conservation and protection
  The presence of at-sea observers on board fishing vessels serves as a deterrent and raises awareness. Their presence also allows the detection of infractions committed by monitored fishers and the assessment of the scope of the problems associated with some fleets through comparison of the landed catches of monitored vessels with those of unmonitored vessels.

  At-sea observers are particularly useful in raising fishers' awareness, serving as a deterrent, detecting infactions and assessing problems respecting:

  • type of fishing gear used
  • locations fished
  • by-catches of protected species and undersized fish
  • discards at sea
  • records of catches and discards by fishermen

  At-sea observers do not have the same kind of "policing" powers as fisheries officers, however, they frequently take the witness stand in court for the Crown.

• Fisheries management
  The data collected by at-sea observers are essential for day-to-day management of several fisheries. In many cases, fishing areas are opened or closed based on catch data (eg, percentage of soft shell crab, percentage of undersized fish, percentage of by-catches of protected species).

• Science
  The At-Sea Observer Program provides a significant proportion of the data used by scientists in assessing fish stock status and establishing the TAC. Observers also collect biological data on species, the selectivity of gear types, exploratory fishing and many other special projects.

Percentage of coverage

In 2002, the level as coverage for Quebec Region fleets by the At-Sea Observer Program was as follows:

Fleet	Percentage of fishing trips
Snow Crab
Areas 12, E and F	30%
Areas A, B	15%
Area C	10%
Areas 13 and 14	2,5%
Areas 15 and 16	10%
Area 17	5 - 15% (depending on period)
Gulf shrimp	5%
Northern shrimp	100%
Scallops
Areas 16, E and F and 18A	10%
Tuna	5%
Groundfish, fixed gear	5%
Groundfish, mobile gear	10%
Groundfish, sentinel fisheries	100%

Role of stakeholders

• Fisheries and Oceans Canada
  Within the framework of the program, the DFO plays a major role and has the following responsibilities:

  • Managing the Program (Conservation and Protection Directorate)
  • Selecting a private contractor within the framework of a Public call for Tenders (in collaboration with Public Works and Government Services Canada)
  • Certifying at-sea observers (in accordance with Standards Council of Canada) standards
  • Establishing observers' deployment and sampling plans for the various fleets
  • Supervising the work of the private-sector contractor and controlling the quality of data provided by the latter.

• The fishing industry
  Fishers and fishers' associations are responsible for the following:

  • Advising the DFO on management of the At-Sea Observer Program
  • Agreeing on memoranda of understanding with the private-sector contractor to ensure vessel coverage
  • Informing the private-sector contractor of each fishing trip (some fleets only)
  • Taking all necessary steps to ensure the boarding and landing at sea observers on the date and at the time and location agreed to with the private-sector contractor
  • Allowing the at-sea observers to board vessels and providing them with all assistance they may require while performing their duties onboard

• The private-sector contractor
  The day-to-day management of the At-Sea Observer Program in each DFO region is entrusted to a private-sector contractor. In the Quebec Region, the selected contractor for the period ending 31 December 2003 is BIOREX Inc. The contractor's main roles and responsibilities are:

  • recruiting, training and hiring observers, and having them DFO-accredited
  • deploying the observers on the various fleets in a manner that meets DFO objectives
  • providing detailed instructions to each observer deployed
  • assessing the work of the observers and the quality of the information gathered
  • converting the data collected to electronic format and submitting the data to DFO
  • managing the observers' salaries
  • recovering costs from DFO and the industry

• Observers
  At-sea observers are employed by the private-sector contractor. The Quebec Region Observers' Group is affiliated with the Canadian Maritime Union.

  Individuals interested in a career as an at-sea observer should consult the BIOREX Inc , Web site.