Dan Hull, Chairman
Chris Oliver, Executive Director
SUBJECT: title
2017 Observer Progam Annual Deployment Plan - Review; OAC Report
end
STAFF CONTACT: Diana Evans
ACTION REQUIRED: recommended action
* Review draft 2017 Annual Deployment Plan (ADP)
* Receive Observer Advisory Committee (OAC) Report
BACKGROUND:
2016 Annual Deployment Plan
The Council is scheduled to review the draft 2017 Annual Deployment Plan (ADP), and provide recommendations to NMFS for the final 2017 ADP. The ADP evaluates deploying observers by gear type as in 2016, and also evaluates separate strata for vessels delivering to tenders, and for small catcher processors in partial coverage. NMFS' recommendation is to deploy into 6 strata in 2017, by gear type, and with separate strata for vessels delivering to tenders. Based on optimal allocation of observer days among the strata based on discarded groundfish, the preliminary selection rates would be:
* Trawl: 18% for trawl vessels, and 14% for trawl vessels delivering to tenders
* Hook-and-line: 11%, and 27% for hook-and-line vessels delivering to tenders
* Pot: 3% for pot vessels, and 6% for pot vessels delivering to tenders
The OAC met on September 19 and 20 in Seattle to discuss the 2017 ADP, and generally agrees with NMFS' recommendations, although there was a lack of consensus about the recommendation to separate out tender strata specifically for hook-and-line and pot gear. The OAC also expressed concern about the lower deployment rates that are projected for 2017, which are a direct result of the lower total observer days available in the budget. The 2017 observer deployment budget is entirely dependent on the industry fee, as opposed to the last three years when it has been supplemented by Federal funding. The OAC recommends that the Council consider approaches to address low coverage rate that include considering ways to optimize coverage with the current budget, an increase in the observer fee, and a request for supplementary...
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