Groundfish vessels fishing in federal waters off Alaska are either in the "full coverage", "partial coverage", or "zero coverage" categories according to the monitoring specifications outlined each year in the Annual Deployment Plan. Vessels in the Partial Coverage (PC) category are subject to random selection for observer coverage or electronic monitoring on a trip-by-trip basis. PC vessels are typically catcher vessels using longline, pot, or trawl gear and are required to log each trip into the Observer Declare and Deploy System (ODDS) prior to departure to determine if the trip is "selected" for observer coverage or electronic monitoring. If a trip is selected vessels must comply with all monitoring requirements on that trip. Broadly speaking, the Observer Declare and Deploy System is the data system that houses all trip logging data and the associated monitoring rates, and provides a user interface for vessel owners to log trips and for the contracted observer provider(s) to assign observers to selected trips.

Observer data span more than two decades and multiple database development interations. To facilitate status of stocks authors and other users of these records, a data set separate from the OLAP was created which reformats and repackages vetted (debriefed) observer data from NORPAC into a common structure, format, and syntax. The granularity of current production data is compromised, however for the purposes of longitudinal research the data set is internally consistant, and spans the developmental boundaries.

Aerial surveys of coastal Alaska are the primary method for estimating abundance of harbor seals. A particular challenge associated with aerial surveys of harbor seals is maintaining consistent spatial representation of haul-out locations (waypoints). In some cases, seals aggregate into a single large grouping at a particular area. In other cases, seals aggregate into several smaller groups spread over a particular area. To establish geo-spatial consistency, the Alaska Fisheries Science Center (AFSC) maintains a list of haul-out locations that represent known harbor seal aggregations in Alaska. Haul-out locations were identified through aerial survey efforts and historical knowledge. Locations are assigned a unique alphanumeric identifier, based on the survey unit they fall within, and the spatial data are provided in the geographic (epsg:4326) coordinate reference system. These haul-out locations are used to inform management decisions pertaining to coastal activities (presence/absence of seals in a particular area) and to facilitate AFSC field work that includes both aerial and vessel surveys. Haul-out locations are updated annually based on information obtained from aerial survey observations. This dataset contains Alaska harbor seal haul-out locations that are recorded primarily to support aerial survey efforts in August and (in some areas, June). Harbor seals are known to use various haul-out locations seasonally and, thus, this is likely not a complete collection of harbor seal haul-out locations. Some haul-outs that are close together may be combined and represented as one site or waypoint. Important haul-out locations have been identified in the "status" field of the attribute table and are labeled as "key haulout" if a particular location contains 50 or more harbors seals. A haul-out location containing less than 50 harbor seals is labeled "not key haulout". This number may change as more in depth analysis continues.

The Catch Accounting System (CAS) creates total catch estimates for the groundfish fisheries in the Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands and Gulf of Alaska. Each year, quotas are established in the CAS that match the annual harvest specification tables for federally managed groundfish fisheries off Alaska. The output of the CAS is the total amount of groundfish that is retained and the amount that is discarded at sea. In addition, the system creates estimates of the total amount of non-groundfish species -- both prohibited species and non-target species -- that are caught in the groundfish fisheries. Prohibited species catch (PSC) consists of salmon, halibut, and several species of crab. All the PSC species have economic value in non-groundfish fisheries and therefore cannot be retained in the groundfish fisheries. Non-target catch are species like coral, sponges, etc., and catch of these species needs to be calculated in order to evaluate the impact of the groundfish fisheries on the ecosystem. The CAS uses a combination of industry reports and onboard observer information to provide an estimate of total catch and bycatch. Industry reported data consists of catch (landing reports) and processed product amounts (production reports), and these reports are electronically recorded and submitted to NMFS via eLandings. The observer data are collected by the Alaska Fisheries Science Center (AFSC) using a stratified sampling design. Other sources of information come from the Alaska Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission (CFEC), which issues permits and vessel licenses, and Vessel Monitoring Systems (VMS), which collect the position, time at a position, and course and speed of fishing vessels.

Vessels fishing trawl gear, vessels fishing hook-and-line and pot gear that are also greater than 57.5 feet overall, and shoreside and floating processing facilities comprise the trip-selection stratum. Approximately 60 days prior to the start of the year, registered owners will receive a letter informing them that they are required to log all intended future trips for their vessel using a supplied username and password into a web-based system (that is also accessible by telephone). This system, termed the Observer Declare and Deploy System (ODDS), was developed by NMFS to facilitate the assignment of observers to future fishing events on a trip-by-trip basis. As described in the proposed rule, ODDS works by providing vessel operators (either owners or their designated captains) with an account through which they shall enter their anticipated fishing trips. More than one trip can be entered- three if the start time of the first trip and the end time of the last trip span more than 72 hours, six if not. Anticipated target fishery is not required- only the port of departure and landing with the anticipated start and end times of the trip. Each trip must be entered at least 72 hours before anticipated departure to allow the vessels? observer provider time to deploy an observer. If the contractor provider cannot provide an observer to the vessel, the vessel may be granted a release from coverage by NMFS and go fishing. If the provider obtains an observer for the trip, the vessel may still opt to defer a trip for up to 48 hours from the anticipated departure to account for unanticipated events such as poor weather conditions. If, however, after this additional 48 hour period has passed and the vessel has still not departed, that trip is cancelled by the ODDS, the observer is released from the vessel to be deployed elsewhere, and the vessel?s next logged trip will require observer coverage.

One type of electronic monitoring of Alaska groundfish catch has been conducted by Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission using an electronic monitoring (EM) system to collect catch accounting data using video and sensor data of selected fishing vessels in Alaska. Video recordings of fish catch composition aboard selected vessels are collected are stored on hard drives in an effort to track vessel catch and discards to accurately debit discarded catch from the individual fishing quota (IFQ) account of each account holder. This information is collected in place of the sampling for species composition of the catch conducted by human at-sea catch monitors or observers. Reviewers of the videos enter data from the drives and maintain data integrity and quality. Raw, reviewed electronic monitoring data collected by Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission must have additional data items added to it to conform to the standard format of data normally collected by Alaska observers in order for the data to be processed by catch accounting of the NMFS Alaska Regional Office. The EM_OBSINT tables contain these transformed data. These data, like data collected by Alaska groundfish observers, and transmitted electronically to the AFSC and are the source data for those interfaces used for fishery management, scientific inquiry and fishing activity monitoring by industry.

In November, 2006, Oceanographic observations were initiated during the resupply cruises to the Little Port Walter Research Station on lower Baranof Island, Southeast Alaska. Six sampling stations were selected starting at mid channel, Stephans Passage near Snettisham Inlet then, near the intersection of Stephans Passage and Fredrick Sound by Brothers Islands, then, near the intersection of Fredrick Sound and Chatham Strait off of Kingsmill Point and then three stations across lower Chatham Strait just north of the latitude of Little Port Walter. An SBE19plus conductivity, temperature and depth recorder was used to take water samples at a speed of approximately one meter per second from the surface to a depth of 250 meters. These observations are intended to be part of the Southeast Alaska Ocean Observing System (SEAOOS). Data are stored as CNV files, HEX files and jpg files on Frank Throwers computer.

These data arise from a field study of groundfish catch monitoring in Kodiak, AK trawl fisheries. Two monitoring components were included in the study: 1) at-sea sampling methods used by observers to sample species composition of catch and 2) shore-side sampling of delivered catch by observers to validate landings species composition reports. The at-sea portion of the study consisted of a side-by-side comparison (two observers) of a proposed new sampling method and the standard sampling method. Observer data were recorded at-sea on paper and transferred to an Oracle database. The shoreside component of this study consisted of observer species composition sampling in plants for later comparison with landings data. The shore-side data were collected by observers in processing plants, recorded on paper and transferred to an Oracle database. Data collection started in April 2011 and continued through August 2011. Third party landings data (NOAA Fisheries, Alaska Regional Office, Sustainable Fisheries Division) that were used in the analysis are stored in an oracle database. Data for both project components (at-sea and shoreside) were collected during normal fishing activities onboard commercial trawl catcher vessels and during normal processing activities in shore-based processing plants.

The Southeast Alaska Coastal Monitoring (SECM) project in Alaska was initiated in 1997 by the Auke Bay Laboratory, National Marine Fisheries Service, to study the habitat use and early marine ecology of juvenile (age-0) Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) and associated epipelagic ichthyofauna. This research has been conducted to meet several needs identified in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries 2006-2011 Strategic Plan, the North Pacific Anadromous Fisheries Commission (NPAFC) 20062010 Science Plan, and the Gulf of Alaska Global Ocean Ecosystem Dynamics (GLOBEC) Program. A primary goal of the 2006-2011 NOAA Fisheries Strategic Plan is to Protect, Restore, and Manage the Use of Coastal and Ocean Resources Through an Ecosystem Approach to Management. SECM research addresses the five fundamental activities identified under this goal, which include: Monitor and observe the land, sea, atmosphere. Understand and describe how natural systems work together, Assess and predict the changes in natural systems, Engage, advise, and inform individuals, partners, communities, and industries, and, Manage coastal and ocean resources SECM research emphasizes long-term monitoring of coastal marine habitats used by juvenile salmon and associated epipelagic fishes, to understand how environmental variation affects the sustainability of these marine resources in an ecological context. The study of juvenile anadromous stocks of salmon in ocean ecosystems is an important component of the NPAFC 2006-2010 Science Plan. This component recommends studies directed at understanding: seasonal distribution and migration route/timing of juvenile salmon; hydrological characteristics, primary production, and prey resources in the habitats; trophic linkages, growth rates and predation rates of juvenile salmon; and population size, survival rate and survival mechanism of juvenile salmon. SECM research focuses on each of these elements of this component. In particular, SECM examines the relationships among habitat use, marine growth, hatchery and wild stock interactions, year-class strength, and ocean carrying capacity of key juvenile salmon stocks in the Eastern Pacific rim. Research under the GLOBEC program incorporates basin-scale studies to determine how plankton productivity and the carrying capacity for high-trophic level, pelagic carnivores in the North Pacific Ocean change in response to climate variations, and incorporates regional-scale ecosystem studies to compare how variations in ocean climate affect species dominance and fish populations in the coastal margins of the Pacific Rim. SECM research addresses the regional-scale component of the GLOBEC program by 1) collecting biological data on juvenile Pacific salmon and ecologically related fish species from surface rope trawl samples, 2) monitoring physical and biological oceanographic indices at sampling stations in marine habitats, and 3) conducting process studies focusing on bioenergetics, prey fields, and trophic relationships of juvenile salmon and associated fishes.

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) began placing observers on foreign fishing vessels operating off the northwest and Alaskan coasts of the United States in 1973, creating the North Pacific Foreign Fisheries Observer Program. Initially, observers were placed on vessels only upon invitation by host countries. In the early years of the program the primary purposes of observers were to determine incidental catch rates of Pacific halibut in groundfish catches and to verify catch statistics in the Japanese crab fishery. Later, observers collected data on the incidence of king crab, snow (Tanner) crab, and Pacific salmon, and obtained biological data on other important species. Following the implementation of the Magnuson Fishery Conservation and Management Act of 1976, which mandated that fishery observers be placed on foreign fishing vessels operating within the US 200-mile Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) off the Alaska coast of the Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska, observer coverage rapidly expanded. By 1986, the foreign fisheries that were not joint-venture were halted.