Pacific Region At-sea Observer Program
The program delivers comprehensive at-sea observer services for Pacific fisheries, supporting data collection, biological sampling, and compliance monitoring through trained and certified observers, reliable reporting, and consistent oversight across domestic and joint venture operations.
March 22, 2021
Project Overview:
Archipelago provides at-sea observer services to Pacific Region domestic and joint venture fisheries. These services were contracted to DFO between 1987 and 2013 and are currently contracted to industry associations. The programs involve a variety of tasks including the collection of catch and effort information, biological samples and compliance monitoring data, providing observers to collect data on different commercial (groundfish trawl, shrimp trawl and groundfish hook and line/trap) and experimental fisheries (e.g. tanner crab, hagfish, squid fishing, seamount fishing). Archipelago is responsible for observer recruitment, training, and certification, as well as the management of observer deployments, data audit and reporting, observer debriefing and trip report preparation.
