The fishing industry received notice that it would continue to waive the observer program requirement. | Stock Photo
The fishing industry received notice that it would continue to waive the observer program requirement. | Stock Photo
The North Carolina Fisheries Association's request to continue to temporarily waive the need for fishing ships to host an observer who collects data related to the industry was granted by NOAA.
The Fisheries Association initially raised concerns in a June 25 letter to NOAA that it was unable to support the required program because of COVID-19 concerns.
Though NOAA, did not explicitly make its decision based on the North Carolina group, it has been delaying the fishery observer program requirements for the Northeast, Greater Atlantic Region and other spots because of the potential health risks due to the coronavirus coupled with fishing ships tend to have people in close physical contact.
NOAA extended the waiver to not have an observer on a vessel from July 1 to July 31, it said in a June 30 news release. NOAA does plan to resume the fisher observer program Aug. 1, however, during July it will continue to monitor the public health crisis.
"During the month of July, we will continue to work with regional observer and at-sea monitoring service providers to finalize their observer redeployment plans, conduct outreach with industry, and finalize our internal programs and policies that will support the safe and effective redeployment of observers and at-sea monitors in the region," NOAA said in the news release.
The coronavirus has impacted practically every aspect of the nation's economy in some fashion, including the fishing industry. North Carolina Fisheries Association wanted the wavier extended out of concerns of the virus spreading among people on a ship and also that workers tend to be older and are considered high-risk.
"...Placing observers on fishing vessels ... would unnecessarily place many North Carolina fishermen in harm's way and have devastating impacts to an essential food producing industry," Executive Director Glenn Skinner wrote. "Commercial fishing is a relatively small industry that supports a wide range of other businesses. The confined living quarters aboard fishing vessels make the vessel themselves a high-risk environment for the spread of coronavirus."
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