Budget Cuts Affect Commercial Regs
 

Apparently congress passed some serious budget cuts in the way of commercial fisheries observing about a month ago. I haven't found out too many of the details, except that it's put me out of my dream job. To the supermarket I go, to work until enough people leave the job I'm now waiting indefinitely for.

Now, I don't see how huge cuts help at all. They require a reduction in the days observing. This stuff is important in order to calculate commercial fishing pressure and to find ways to reduce bycatch. You need a certain sample size in order to get accurate results. The government will end up expending more money subsidizing commercial vessel owners and paying out welfare, unemployment, etc., when fish stocks are not properly managed.

I'm in the process of checking up on the details of these cuts and who to contact to, well, I guess, complain. The severe reduction in the observing budget and, therefore research days at sea may end up affecting striper numbers, as well as all other fish. I urge you to contact your senators, reps, and local, regional, and national fishery management agencies in order to let them know how important commercial fisheries observing is to us, to fish stocks, to commercial fishermen, and to aquatic ecosystems. Increase the budget, dudes!

This is very interesting, because the boat owner(s) and crew PAY to have observers onboard. It's been my understanding the money we pay goes directly to AIS, who then distribute a portion of that money to the observer.
Does this amount not cover all expenses and the rest is paid by govt?

MS, Ya know, I'm not sure. I didn't even get a chance to hit orientation before I got "un-hired". I'm sure we would have learned most of those important-type details in training. I believe that the NMFS budget was reduced, causing them to request less sea days for this year.

I didn't know that comm guys paid to have us on board. No wonder some fishermen are against it. It's good that they're not making boats pay even more, using budget cuts as an excuse, though.

I just got an email today saying that I should be hired on again in the late spring, early summer -- a better time to be a newbie, as the weather's a bit less miserable.

Work
 

BassBabe I hope everything works out for you with this...

Fisherman in the NE region, Maine to North Carolina, don't pay to have observers on board. They are reimbursed for overnight observers at the rate of $25/day for food.
I won't count on the spring summer recruitment. It is all up in the air now, unknown.
I am an observer now, and just laid off for the rest of the month, with no word yet regarding March, and the future.
Quite disappointed.

I Agree
 

I was an observer and got layed-off as a result as the budget cuts. I have been told by my former employer, as well as other observer companies, to hold tight and wait for summer positions that might open. I am not very optimistic. The budget cuts effected observer positions all over the US which means that there are many jobless biologists right now looking for work. In my company alone there were
around 100 observers who got the boot.