Final 2018 Annual Deployment Plan

NMFS reported on the Final 2018 Observer Annual Deployment Plan (ADP), which was released in early December. Although NMFS did not ultimately accept the Council’s ADP recommendations from October where they differed from those of the agency, the outcome is similar to the Council’s intent to allocate more coverage in the hook and line and trawl strata, because of changes between October and December in projected 2018 effort resulting from low GOA cod TACs, and accommodating 141 vessels in the EM strata. In 2018, selection rates will be: 20% for trawl vessels (or 17% for trawl vessels delivering to a tender); 17% for hook-and-line vessels; and 16% for pot vessels (or 17% for pot vessels delivering to a tender). Vessels participating in the EM selection pool will have a 30% selection rate in 2018. The Council remains interested in the development, in 2018, of an observer deployment allocation scheme which provides for minimum selection rates that are specific to gear-type (sometimes referred to as a “gear-specific hurdle approach”). Staff contact is Diana Evans.