Fisheries Compliance Observer

Job Title: Fisheries Compliance Observer

Department: Natural Resources

Section: Fisheries

Reports to: Observer Manager

Grade: Falkland Islands Government Grade – D2

Job Code: 326FO3

Job Purpose

To monitor vessel compliance with current Fisheries legislation, relevant regulations and fishing licence conditions as set  annually by the Director and play a critical role in the conservation and management of fisheries resources by gathering  data essential to the sustainability of the Falkland Islands fisheries resources.

Main Accountabilities

• Monitor compliance with licence conditions. This may include: assessing net cleaning, reporting of bycatch levels  and vessel compliance with discard management. Report compliance issues direct to Fisheries Protection. 
• Communicate with Fisheries Protection Officers and Fisheries Management about compliance issues requiring  further action. 
• Write clear, concise reports/briefs following each deployment at sea and present supporting data in the required  electronic format to ensure the Fisheries Department’s databases are kept up to date with critical information.  This will involve uploading data as necessary. 
• Monitor interactions between seals and vessels. This may include: monitoring trawls and record seal abundance,  their interactions with fishing gear, live escapees, live releases and incidental mortalities. Recording and reporting  these interactions in the approved format. 
• Monitor interactions between seabirds and vessels. This may include: monitoring trawls and recording seabird  abundance, their interactions with fishing gear, incidental mortalities and any issues seen with the effectiveness of  Bird Scaring Lines (BSLs). Recording and reporting these interactions in the approved format. 
• Carry out basic biological sampling tasks, such as: conduct catch composition sampling or length/frequency  measurements of catch 
• Monitor landings and transhipments  
• Any other duties that may be identified that are consistent with the scope and aims of the program. 

The job description is not an exclusive or exhaustive definition of your duties. You shall undertake such additional or other  duties as may reasonably be required by FIG commensurate with your role and grade.

Additional Information:

The role of a Fisheries Compliance Observer is to ensure that fishing vessels are operating according to the Falkland Island  laws and regulations pertaining to commercial fishing. The post holder is in effect the ‘eyes and ears’ in the field for fisheries  managers and scientists. 

Observations of infringements of FI Fisheries law including fishing license conditions should, depending on their severity, be  brought to the attention of the vessel master immediately and also fisheries protection officers for further action. In all  cases observations must be recorded accurately and photographic evidence collected if possible. Observer records will be  used to develop a comprehensive and continuing overview of the effectiveness of fisheries management and identify areas  of potential concern. 

Compliance observers will also be required to be at sea on commercial fishing vessels for up to ten weeks at a time, although  this may vary if conditions dictate. They may also be required to remain on vessels that leave the Falkland Islands Exclusive  Economic Zone (FI EEZ) into the High Seas and possibly to stay on vessels and observe transhipment activities in the Port of  Montevideo. 

Living conditions aboard vessels of the fishing fleet may be variable. Usually, a single cabin is allocated to the observer for  the period onboard, but sometimes especially on some small vessels it may be necessary to share accommodation with one  of the ship’s officers or observers. Standards of cleanliness also vary and the observer is expected to contend with such  variable conditions, within reason. Smoking is widely prevalent on most fishing vessels, taking place on deck, factory deck,  and mess rooms. The sleeping cabin should be a smoke free area, but the observer may encounter smoking in other areas  of the fishing vessel. Observers are generally treated well aboard all vessels and have, throughout the years, earned the  respect of many of the regular captains and crew.  

The safety and security of Falkland Islands Fisheries Department (FIFD) observers are taken seriously and FIFD makes every  effort to ensure the job is done safely. All observers should have completed a basic sea survival (STCW95) course before  starting their employment, and all vessels that observers are placed on are checked for their safety equipment/procedures  and suitability prior to being boarded by an observer. If you do not hold a valid STCW95 at the time of application it is  possible to complete this before arriving in the islands. 

Life jacket and sea survival suit are issued when starting the job. It should be borne in mind that observers should also be  pro-active in safeguarding their security and safety whilst onboard by making themselves familiar about safety procedures,  escape routes etc.