Proposed 2014 Observer Sea Day Allocation

The Standardized Bycatch Reporting Methodology (SBRM) Omnibus Amendment was implemented on 27 February 2008 (NMFS 2008, NEFMC 2007) and subsequently vacated by the US District Court for the District of Columbia and remanded back to National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) on 15 September 2011. On 29 December 2011, NMFS removed the regulations implementing the SBRM (NMFS 2011). Nevertheless, the need remains to annually allocate observer coverage among fisheries prosecuted in the waters off the northeastern US. The numbers of sea days needed to monitor 14 federally managed fish/invertebrate species groups and one species of sea turtles have been estimated by the Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC). Based upon the funding available for observer coverage, the numbers of sea days have been allocated by fleet for the April 2014 through March 2015 period. 2014 NMFS (National Marine Fisheries Service) NEFSC (Northeast Fisheries Science Center) Submitted https://doi.org/10.25923/7ng3-ba24 Public Domain 1862