§ 660.16 - Groundfish observer program.

§ 660.16 Groundfish observer program.

(a) General. Vessel owners, operators, and managers are jointly and severally responsible for their vessel's compliance with observer requirements specified in this section and within §§ 660.140, 660.150, 660.160, 660.216, or 660.316.

(b) Purpose. The purpose of the Groundfish Observer Program is to collect fisheries data necessary and appropriate for, among other relevant purposes, management, compliance monitoring, and research in the groundfish fisheries and for the conservation of living marine resources.

(c) Observer coverage requirements. The following table provides references to the paragraphs in the Pacific coast groundfish subparts that contain fishery specific requirements. Observer coverage required for the Shorebased IFQ Program, MS Coop Co-op Program, or C/P Coop Co-op Program shall not be used to comply with observer coverage requirements for any other Pacific coast groundfish fishery in which that vessel may also participate.

West coast groundfish fishery	Regulation section	Observer program branch office
(1) Shorebased IFQ Program—Trawl Fishery	§ 660.140(h)	West Coast Groundfish.
(2) MS Coop Co-op Program—Whiting At-sea Trawl Fishery	§ 660.150(j)
(i) Motherships		At-sea Hake.
(ii) Catcher Vessels		West Coast Groundfish.
(3) C/P Coop Co-op Program—Whiting At-sea Trawl Fishery	§ 660.160(g)	At-sea Hake.
(4) Fixed Gear Fisheries	§ 660.216
(i) Harvester vessels		West Coast Groundfish.
(ii) Processing vessels		West Coast Groundfish.
(5) Open Access Fisheries	§ 660.316
(i) Harvester vessels		West Coast Groundfish.
(ii) Processing vessels		West Coast Groundfish.

(d) Observer certifications and responsibilities. For the Shorebased IFQ Program see § 660.140(h), for the MS Coop Co-op Program see § 660.150(j), and, for the C/P Coop Co-op Program see § 660.160(g).

(e) Application process to become an observer provider. See § 660.18.

[75 FR 78376, Dec. 15, 2010, as amended at 80 FR 22280, Apr. 21, 2015; 88 FR 81358, Nov. 22, 2023]