Tag Archives: No Reported Enforcement

Assaults on Fisheries Observers More than Double in Two Years with No Reported Enforcement

obs_logo_lgAttacks against independent monitors of U.S. fishing fleets more than doubled between 2013 and 2015. That’s according to official figures posted today by the Association for Professional Observers (APO) and Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER). Last year, despite a record number of such assaults, the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) took no enforcement action in any case and more than half remain in “open” status – many for months. Approximately 700 observers monitor fleets in 47 different fisheries in U.S. waters, logging some 77,000 days at sea each year. Many are female and face particular challenges from all-male fishing crews on long voyages. Read the rest here 22:22