July 15, 2021 — NOAA Fisheries announced on Tuesday that they are lifting an exemption on at-sea observers that has been in place since August 2020.
Effective July 13, vessels enrolled in an electronic monitoring program may be assigned observer or monitor coverage consistent with its respective program’s requirements. This is a follow up from a June announcement in which NOAA Fisheries stated that vessels would no longer be eligible for release from observer or monitor coverage if a fully vaccinated observer or a quarantined/shelter in place observer is available.