At-Sea Observers and Electronic Monitoring

Costs
Enforcement/Coverage
New Process
Science/Data Collection
Certification Standards

Costs

Q1. Why do I have to pay to have an observer on my vessel?

A1. Those who benefit from the use of the resource should assist in paying for the management of the resource. In 2005, the Department announced that the full costs of this program would transition to become the responsibility of industry.

This change will provide industry with greater control over the operational elements of the program.

Q2. What is the cost of the groundfish electronic monitoring system used in the Pacific Region?

A2. Costs vary among vessels, depending on a number of factors such as the vessel, the number of sea-days fished, and characteristics of the fishing trips (e.g., trip length and frequency).

Q3. Should we be preparing to pay more for at-sea observer or groundfish electronic monitoring services?

A3. With the Government of Canada’s contracts set to end on March 31, 2013, industry will control the negotiation of fees for these services. For at-sea observers, the Department expects to begin the designation process early in 2013 so industry will be informed about the at-sea observer service providers available to them.

For the groundfish electronic monitoring services, industry may engage at any time in negotiating their contracts with service providers to begin on April 1, 2013.

Q4. Why does industry have to pay for at-sea observers when it’s really the Department that wants at-sea observer data for Science purposes?

A4. As the fishing industry takes greater responsibility for conservation and stewardship of the resource, it will also need to assume a greater share of the management costs. This includes the costs associated with fisheries monitoring programs, such as carrying at-sea observers aboard fishing vessels.

Q5. How much will the Department save by not paying any of the costs for the at-sea observer program or the groundfish electronic monitoring programs?

A5. The Department will no longer be co-funding the direct costs of at-sea monitoring program operations. However, for the at-sea observer program, we will be funding the development and ongoing audit and monitoring associated with implementation and oversight of the new program.

Enforcement / Coverage

Q6. Why do we need at-sea observers when there are other controls on the vessel?

A6. At-sea observers are required as a condition of licence, along with other monitoring programs, for the effective management and control of fisheries. At-sea observers provide the only method of on-board observation of fishing activity and augment the scientific stock assessment catch data. In some major fisheries, the at-sea observer data is the primary source of scientific sampling information.

Q7. How will fishermen get their licenses when the Department needs to know that at-sea observers have been paid first?

A7. As per current practice, at sea-observer requirements will continue to be included in licence conditions, and compliance with the requirement will continue to be enforced by Conservation and Protection officers.

Q8. How will we achieve the percent of coverage required if at-sea observers have to be co-ordinated across regions?

A8. Fisheries and Oceans Canada continue to oversee and manage target observer deployment coverage levels for each fishery.

Q9. What process is in place to ensure the Department can verify if a fisherman has a contract with an observer company or a vessel monitoring system installed?

A9. As is practiced today, fish harvesters must provide a written certification to Fisheries and Oceans Canada that arrangements have been made with a designated observer company to carry at-sea observers on their vessels. The verification process for vessel monitoring systems involves regular monitoring of active fish harvesters in any fishery that requires a vessel monitoring system as a licence condition.

New Process

Q10. How will contracts with at-sea observer service providers now work?

A10. Industry will now enter into direct contracts with Fisheries and Oceans Canada-designated at-sea observer service providers. By assuming greater control over the contract process, industry will be able to negotiate the fees for this service without government involvement.

Q11. If the Department is no longer paying for at-sea observers, why can’t industry choose any provider it wants?

A11. Fisheries and Oceans Canada will still be responsible for standard setting and designation of at-sea observer service providers. Industry will be able to choose their at-sea observer services from a list of designated providers.

Q12. Are there more observer companies available to industry? Is there a list available of these companies? Are they approved by the Department?

A12. At present, there are three at-sea observer companies serving Atlantic Canada: Biorex Incorporated in the Department's Gulf and Quebec Regions; Seawatch Incorporated in the Newfoundland and Labrador Region; and Javitech Limited in the Maritime and Gulf Regions. In British Columbia, there is one at-sea observer company under contract to DFO, Archipelago Marine Research Limited.

In the past, there was only one observer company per region because each had a contract with the Government of Canada to serve the particular region. Once these contracts end, as of March 31, 2013, additional certified companies may be able to offer these services to industry. Certified companies meet the Canadian General Standards Board standards for at-sea observers and have also been designated by the Department as a certified at-sea observer service provider. Any newly certified and DFO-designated at-sea service providers would be announced to industry through a Notice to Fish Harvesters. 

When the Government of Canada's contracts with at-sea observer providers end on March 31, 2013, industry will now have the control to negotiate fees for these services.

Q13. Can a fishery go to suppliers from outside of the Province to hire observers?

A13. Fish harvesters must use the services of an observer supplier (company) that is designated by Fisheries and Oceans Canada to operate in the Region for which the fishing licence is issued. Fish harvesters are free to negotiate arrangements with any supplier designated for their respective Region.

Q14. How will billing work with the new arrangement?

A14. Billing should be determined during industry negotiations with designated service providers. Payment arrangements are a separate matter which is a business arrangement between the fish harvesters (or association) and the observer company.

Q15. Will at-sea observers travel to the fisherman’s location or will industry still have to pick them up?

A15. At-sea observers are typically deployed from the wharf where the vessel sails.

Q16. How will the Department maintain authority over at-sea observers?

A16. Once a corporation receives certification from the Canadian General Standards Board to provide at-sea observer services, they must apply to Fisheries and Oceans Canada to become a designated at-sea service provider under the Fishery (General) Regulations. This application is made in the form of a business plan which outlines a number of responsibilities and capabilities to which the service provider must adhere. This includes certifications of financial viability, security, and insurance requirements, as well as arm’s-length operating requirements.

Both the Canadian General Standards Board and Fisheries and Oceans Canada will maintain regular and ongoing audits of the corporation’s performance and programs operations.

Q17. Will this change negatively impact current at-sea observer companies or individuals currently employed as at-sea observers?

A17.  It is not possible to predict the impact on existing observer companies or individual observers. Much will depend on how the companies and the fishing industry come to arrangements for service under the new delivery system.

Q18. Will the changes to the at-sea observer program result in job losses?

A18.  It is not possible to predict the impact on existing observer companies or individual observers. Much will depend on how the companies and the fishing industry come to arrangements for service under the new delivery system.

Science/Data Collection

Q19. Will the changes to the at-sea observer program negatively impact the quality and capacity of the science?

A19. The same data collection and quality control standards will remain in place under the new program delivery system.

Q20. How will observers submit data to Conservation and Protection if they are funded 100% by industry?

A20. As per current practice, observer data will be collected and submitted by the at-sea observer to the company’s data managers for computer entry and quality control. This information is then sent to Fisheries and Oceans Canada.

Q21. Has the Department considered alternatives to getting the data required for Science; perhaps ones that would result in a lower cost to industry?

A21. The at-sea observer program is more than a scientific data collection program. It provides data for ongoing fisheries management purposes, such as the opening and closing of fisheries on a real-time basis. It monitors fishing activity on board the vessel and reports suspected irregularities. The program also provides biological sampling and data collection that is used for longer-term stock assessment purposes.

Certification Standards

Q22. What are the certification standards of companies that offer the program?

A22. The Canadian General Standards Board will certify corporations by reviewing a corporation’s application against the criteria contained in their Certification Manual. This manual will be available in December. The Department’s designation requirements are outlined on the at-sea observer and electronic monitoring landing page.