About the Observer Program

The Observer Program currently places Observers on domestic and if required, foreign vessels fishing within the Australian Fishing Zone (AFZ) and some adjacent areas under international arrangements. The requirements and priorities for the Observer Program for each fishery are determined by relevant stakeholders and implemented by the AFMA Observer Program. Observers are trained in specialised sampling techniques including the collection of otoliths, biological samples and environmental observations.

The AFMA Observer Program provides a data collection and verification service to management, researchers and industry. The Program includes developing experimental design and project plans, training and deploying Observers, collecting fishery independent data and samples, data management and production of reports and data summaries.

History of the Observer Program

The Observer Program began with the then Department of Primary Industries and Energy (now the Department of Agriculture Fisheries and Forestry) with the establishment of the 200-mile AFZ in November 1979.

From November 1979 to December 1981 the operations of Japanese longline vessels were subject to monitoring by Australian Observers. During this time, 13 Observer deployments were carried out, either as cruises aboard a single longline vessel or as a series of boarding’s at sea from a chartered Australian vessel.

From that point until 1990 there were numerous observer cruises that included the Japanese longline fishery, Taiwan’s gillnet and line fisheries in northern Australia and the squid fishery in Bass Strait.

Responsibility for the Observer Program was passed to AFMA when the Authority was established in February 1992 and has since provided over 9862 sea days (PDF 14kb).

In line with AFMA’s legislative objective of providing efficient and effective Fisheries Management and the objective to provide accountability, the AFMA Observer Program has undergone a number of internal and external reviews since the inception of AFMA.

In 2003 the provision of Observer Services was market tested and AFMA retained the Observer Services in-house. Since the market testing, a review of cost recovery for fisheries management and a reassessment of the AFMA overheads applicable to Observer Services have significantly reduced the price to industry for Observer Services.

Why are Observers used?

Observers often provide the most reliable data on catch composition, fate of target and non-target species and fishing effort. They are primarily deployed when more detailed information than can be provided by logbooks is required and when fishing is conducted in areas that are environmentally sensitive.

What is the purpose of the Observer Program?

The fundamental purpose is to provide fisheries managers, research organisations, environmental agencies, the fishing industry and the wider community with independent, reliable, verified and accurate information on the fishing catch, effort and practice of a wide range of vessels operating inside and, periodically, outside the AFZ. This information often cannot be obtained from any other source.

Page last updated 2 January, 2007