The New England Multispecies Groundfish Fishery (NEMGF) involves nearly 650 vessels completing 19,000 trips and 33,000 days at sea (DAS) and landing about 50 million pounds of fish. Several gear types are used, with the most common being trawl and gillnet. Landings occur in coastal ports in six states with most activity occurring in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine. The top five ports are:
- Gloucester
- Portland
- Pt. Judith
- New Bedford
- Chatham
The New England Fishery Management Council (Council) has developed a Sector management program to collect the data required to monitor the groundfish fishery with the goal of preventing overfishing. All fisheries will be subject to annual catch limits (ACLs) with accountability measures to ensure catches do not exceed the limit. The Council will set each Sector’s total allowable catch (TAC) against which both landings and discards will be counted. Dockside Monitors (DMs) and Roving Monitors (RMs) will collect and report catch data.
At the end of each fishing trip, vessels will hail in to the monitor contractor with the estimated weight of the catch, major species categories, landing location and time. If the fish will be trucked, the vessel will communicate the time it will be offloaded, where it is going and the scheduled time for the plant to receive the fish. Depending on where the vessel will offload its catch, a RM or DM will be deployed to arrive at the offload location approximately 15 minutes prior to the scheduled vessel arrival. The jobs of RMs and DMs are very similar and the differences in the data they collect are determined by the type of offload they monitor.
Roving Monitors
If the fish is going to be offloaded to a truck, a RM will monitor the offloading. The RM will meet the vessel at the point of offloading to confirm and record fishing information. The RM will be responsible for:
- Documenting the date the vessel sailed, the gear type, and the mesh category
- Checking and recording the number of totes/boxes loaded onto the truck
- Checking the vessel’s hold to verify that all fish has been offloaded
- Recording the vessel name, vessel number, the unloading site, arrival time, offloading start and stop times, the name of the truck receiving the fish, and the dealer the fish will be sent to
- Reporting any monitor harassment, vessel safety concerns, injury
Dockside Monitor
If the fish is going to be offloaded at a port, a DM will monitor the offloading. The DM will be responsible for:
- Documenting the date the vessel sailed, the gear type, and the mesh category
- Monitoring and recording the sorting and weighing of the groundfish catch
- Completing a Landing Report containing the vessel name, vessel number, the unloading port, vessel arrival time, offloading start and stop times, weight and species of fish offloaded
- Checking the vessel’s hold to verify that all fish has been offloaded
- Reporting any monitor harassment, vessel safety concerns, injury
Monitor Qualifications
Prior experience in fisheries observation will be an advantage, but is not a requirement, for monitor applicants. Monitors must have:
- A high school diploma or legal equivalent
- The ability to successfully complete all NMFS-required training and briefings (monitors will be certified for one year and will attend a refresher training annually to retain certification)
- The physical ability to perform the duties of dockside/roving monitor e.g., may be required to climb a ladder to inspect fish holds or trucks
- An absence of fisheries-related convictions that will be verified by a thorough background check
- No conflicts of interest (a financial interest or connection to fishing related parties including vessels, dealers, shipping companies, sectors, sector managers, advocacy groups or research institutions)
- Get along well with others and be able to work independently
DSM Training
DSM training is an intensive 5-day course offered by NMFS at various times throughout the year in Falmouth, MA. Training dates will be announced. Candidates must pass this training to be eligible for a contract with Saltwater. Please contact us for a current training schedule
All transcripts for DSM candidates must be submitted by Saltwater to NMFS prior to training. Please see How Do I Apply?
