The Council continues to seek an active observer representative on both the FMAC (Fishery Monitoring Advisory Committee) and PCFMAC (Partial Coverage Fishery Monitoring Advisory Committee). These committees provide advice to the Council on observer and electronic monitoring issues (see below). Depending on candidates and availability, the Council may appoint either one person to both committees, or a different person to each committee. The Council is looking for candidates that have expertise on full coverage and/or partial coverage observer issues.
The FMAC is primarily responsible for:
- Reviewing the Annual Report for the North Pacific Monitoring programs– describes most of elements that are essential to the program as a whole (overall funding, coverage, and performance; observer safety, enforcement issues, obs/EM integration)
- Reviewing NMFS’ observer analytical tasking priorities so that staff effort is appropriately balanced across interest groups
- Providing feedback on relevant Council analyses to ensure that all potential impacts are addressed
- Provide recommendations to NMFS on how to prioritize NFWF EM Project Proposals
The PCFMAC is primarily responsible for reviewing the draft Annual Deployment Plan for the North Pacific Monitoring programs and providing the Council with recommendations on design changes to the partial coverage program, partial coverage fees and deployment, including allocating funds between EM and observer days.
Observer-related issues discussed at these committees may include: observer training, observer harassment issues, safety at sea, and observer duties. The scope of the committee’s work does not include contract/labor issues between observers and the providers.
The FMAC and PCFMAC each typically meet one to two times per year, though additional meetings may occur as needed. The next meeting(s) will be in May 2025 (exact dates are still being determined but will be posted on the Council calendar as soon as possible. Meetings can be attended remotely through Zoom or in person). The FMAC agenda will include review of the Observer Program Annual Report. Unfortunately, the Council cannot provide compensation nor travel expenses for committee members.
Please submit a letter of interest describing how your experience and background relates to the responsibilities of the committee(s) to Sara Cleaver, sara.cleaver@noaa.gov, by March 28, 2025.