National Observer Program Annual Report - Office of Science and ...

(multispecies groundfish) and Southeast (reef fish fishery). Observer programs will continue to
play an important role in development of any EM strategy and operational guidelines.
Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Requests
The NOP received a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request (2012-00249) from Public
Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) for all records pertaining to evaluations,
incidents or other files on a fishery observer in the Southeast Region. NOAA denied PEER’s fee
waiver request and PEER subsequently challenged the decision in the U.S. District Court in the
District of Columbia. The complaint was filed on Aug 3, 2012, and has not yet been resolved.
In a letter dated June 15, 2012 the Department of Commerce Office of General Counsel (DOC
OGC) upheld NMFS’ denial of a FOIA request filed by Frank Fogg, Manager, O’Hara
Corporation for 2008 observer debriefing reports for three O’Hara Corporation vessels that
fished in the North Pacific Groundfish Fishery. At the request of DOC OGC, the NOP compiled
a report on debriefing procedures for each of the observer programs (available upon request).
Each regional program also responds to FOIA requests that are specific to their region. For
example, in 2012 the Northeast Fishery Observer Program received a FOIA request (2012-
00314) for all visual records, including photographic records of marine mammal interactions and
incidental takes created on or after January 2005 in state-managed fisheries, by fisheries
observers in the Northeast Fishery Observer Program. A second FOIA (2012-00313) requested
the same information with regard to sea turtles.
Marine Safety Instructor Training
The National Observer Program contracted Alaska Marine Safety Education Association
(AMSEA) to conduct a Marine Safety Instructor Training certification and refresher course for
twenty fisheries observer safety trainers July 10-15, 2012. National standards require refresher
training every two years for all Marine Safety Instructors who provide observer training. The
topics included preparing for at-sea emergencies; small boat safety, cold water near drowning;
hypothermia; cold water survival; at-sea survival, maintenance and use of safety equipment, (e.g.
life raft, Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon, survival suits, personal flotation devices),
and procedures and drills (e.g. pool and open water drills, fire fighting, pyrotechnics, dewatering,
and man overboard drills). To complete the training, trainees are required to complete 16 of 18
practical safety skills. There have been several emergency situations where observers used the
skills acquired in these important training sessions.
In 2012 the NOP also sponsored regional cross-training of Marine Safety Instructors, in which
instructors from one observer program participated in safety training in another region. The goal
of the program is to enhance individual marine safety instructor’s skills, to provide exposure to
different instruction techniques, and to facilitate the exchange of information and training
techniques among various observer programs.
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