Fisheries observers as enforcement assets: Lessons from the North Pacific

Fisheries observers can both collect scientific data and report on compliance with fisheries regulations. Observers are used only for scientific purposes in most US fisheries. However, North Pacific groundfish fisheries observers are required to report violations of fisheries regulations that they witness. Based on evaluation of historical enforcement incidents and survey data, this paper considers the effects of mandatory reporting in the North Pacific. The goal of this analysis is to determine whether and how observer enforcement in the North Pacific differs from observer enforcement in other US fisheries and to determine what benefits observer enforcement might yield if adopted in other fisheries. Mandatory observer reporting increases incident reports compared to fisheries without mandatory reporting requirements. Observers also report violation types, including illegal discard and retention, that otherwise are rarely identified by traditional dockside or at-sea enforcement resources. However, observer-reported cases are prosecuted less often than cases directly identified by fisheries enforcement officers. The reasons for lower prosecution rates are unclear but do not appear to result from incorrect identification of violations. In the light of recent studies indicating that noncompliance with fisheries regulations is an increasing concern in some fisheries due to decreasing total catch limits, this paper concludes that observers represent a unique enforcement resource that can facilitate detection and penalization of violations. However, increased prosecution of observer-reported data is needed to reduce incentives for noncompliance when observers are onboard. The substantial benefits of observer enforcement may outweigh concerns regarding data biases and observer safety that have limited observer reporting to date.