West Coast Groundfish Observer Program Manual, Part2 - NOAA

CHAPTER 5
Determining the Amount of Gear Fished In A Set
The amount of gear in a set is defined as the total number
of hooks or pots set. A single hook or pot can be counted
multiple times in one set if it is set and retrieved more than
once. Observers must determine the total amount of gear
used per set for all fixed gear vessels.
Lost Gear
Any lost gear, from a single hook or pot to entire strings,
must be accounted for. It is important to determine the
amount of gear set. OTCs are based on TOTAL HOOKS
OR POTS SET, not retrieved!!
Pot Vessels
To determine the amount of gear fished on pot vessels
simply count the number of pots the vessel brings aboard
and determine if any pots were lost. If pots are brought
aboard multiple times during a single set, count each
time they come aboard as a pot. The only way to get a
lost pot count may be to ask the captain.
Total Pots = Sum of All Pots Pulled + Lost Pots
Hook and Line Vessels
Sets on hook and line vessels can be broken down into two
categories.
• “Single Unit” Line Gear – Has sets with no
clearly identifiable gear units.
• “Multiple Unit” Line Gear – Has sets with clearly
identifiable gear units.
Gear units can take many forms. Three examples of gear
units observers are likely to encounter include:
5-28 1/30/2004