The U.S. Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), Southeast Fisheries Science Center’s (SEFSC) have a requirement for Observer Support Services.

The SEFOP serves many purposes to support the Gulf of America, South Atlantic and HMS management and research. Observers, logbooks, trip tickets and electronic monitoring (EM) programs collect fishery dependent data year-round for fisheries that target reef and pelagic species, as well as various penaeid shrimp species found throughout the Gulf of America and Atlantic. This data is then utilized by various analysts and other end-users to inform fishery management councils, other fishery managers and regulatory agencies. Observer data in the SEFSC is typically utilized in the estimation of discards via the Southeast Data Assessment and Review (SEDAR) processes, as well as assessments and regulatory measures associated with protected resources and endangered species. There are many other uses for the data collected by the observer program, including the testing of various electronic monitoring technologies, the testing of novel bycatch reduction devices (BRD) and bycatch avoidance measures. Additionally, the observer program is utilized during offshore oil and gas platform removals (Platform Removal Observer Program; PROP) to ensure that protected resources and endangered species are protected from underwater explosions to remove these platforms. SEFOP is authorized by the Magnuson-Stevens Act (MSA), the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), and the Endangered Species Act (ESA).

The SEFSC currently conducts observer programs in the Atlantic, Gulf of America and Caribbean with over 35 observers deployed in the programs.

Specific observer programs operated by SEFOP include the following:

• Southeast Shrimp Trawl Observer Program – Year-round program to collect observer data in the South Atlantic and Gulf of America on shrimp otter trawls (including rock shrimp), skimmer trawls, and other fixed gear.
• Atlantic Pelagic Observer Program– Year-round program to collect observer data in the Northwestern Atlantic, Gulf of America, and Caribbean pelagic fisheries, including pulsed and experimental effort. Gear types include, but are not limited to: longline, green stick, purse seine, and buoy gear.
• Southeast Shark and Coastal Gillnet Observer Program – Year-round program to collect observer data on Southeast shark and coastal teleost gillnet fisheries.
• Southeast Shark Bottom Longline Observer Program – Year-round program to collect observer data on US South Atlantic and Gulf of America directed large coastal shark bottom longline fisheries.
• Gulf of America Reef Fish Observer Program – Year-round program to collect observer data on all fishing gears targeting reef fish.
• US south Atlantic Reef Fish Observer Program – Year-round program to collect observer data on all fishing gears targeting reef fish in the US south Atlantic.
• Platform Removal Observer Program (PROP) – Year-round program to protect sea turtles and marine mammals from underwater explosives used to remove oil and gas platforms in the Gulf of America.

• The Contractor shall provide and retain the necessary qualified personnel to perform training, briefing, debriefing, data quality control checks, and sampling and safety gear provision by experts in such data collections. Safety of fishery observers at sea is of utmost importance, and the maintenance and issuance of proper safety gear is critical. Quality data collection is of second highest importance. Proper observer training, briefing, debriefing, and in season advice will ensure proper data collection and recording which will increase the critical information gathered for stock assessments to manage the species.