August 28, 2019 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:
Zachary Fyke is the new Observer Compliance Liaison in the Northeast Fisheries Science Center’s Fisheries Sampling Branch. A former fishery observer himself, he has been there and done that, as they say, and is up to the task.
“Observers can spend days or weeks aboard commercial fishing vessels, and the work is intense,” Fyke said. “Conditions may be uncomfortable. Long trips in close quarters and the observer’s role in monitoring compliance can sometimes lead to tensions on a vessel. That is where I come in.”
In addition to resolving conflicts, Fyke also helps ensure that vessels comply with procedures that keep the observer program on track to meet monitoring goals. That includes adequate observer notification about trips, taking observers when scheduled, and providing safe and suitable accommodations for them on the vessel. It also means allowing observers to do their job, and complying with safety and other environmental regulations.