Employment Opportunities
Employment Opportunities
Current Fisheries Monitoring Work Opportunities:
ICCAT Regional Observer Programme
Bycatch Monitoring of Whitefish & Nephrops Fisheries in the North Sea
Celtic Sea
Application Process:
How to Get Involved
ICCAT Regional Observer Programme
BackgroundIn November 2006, the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) adopted the Recommendation by ICCAT Members Establishing a Programme for Transhipment by Large-Scale Tuna Longline Vessels (LSTLVs). The Regional Observer Programme proposed in the Recommendation, is intended to monitor those longliners authorised by Contracting Parties to tranship at sea. Observers approved by the ICCAT Secretariat are deployed on carrier vessels in the ICCAT Convention area (Atlantic Ocean and adjacent seas).
The programme is the first of its kind to be implemented by a Regional Fisheries Body. The Programme started in April 2007 and will run for one year.
SuitabilityBefore an individual can be selected for deployment they must attain ICCAT approval. Essentially we are looking for people with a proven track record in industrial fisheries, ideally as an observer, fisheries officer or fisherman. Complementary academic and vocational qualifications will also strengthen your candidacy. Use the following points as a check list:
- Candidates must be from a Contracting Party (country) of ICCAT.
- Candidates with the following experience will be considered:
- As a fisheries observer in tuna fisheries;
- Other domestic or international fisheries observer/monitoring programmes;
- Participation in research cruises or scientific surveys;
- Held a post as a fisheries officer;
- Possess practical at-sea fisheries experience;
- Individuals should not have any association with the tuna fishing industry; and
- Suitable academic and vocational qualifications will also be considered
- Possess a Personal Survival Techniques or Sea Survival Techniques certificate
Observers will be expected to provide proof and references. Regarding references please organise and submit them with your CV if you intend on applying for the post.
Opportunities for WorkNow! We are recruiting.
Job Description
Observer deployments will be for between 6 and 12 weeks during which they will be expectect to perform the following duties:
- Monitor the carrier vessel's compliance with the relevant conservation and management measures;
- Maintain a daily record of activities;
- Monitor and record transhipment operations;
- Upon their return, submit their data and produce an end of trip report summarizing their deployment and observations;
- Provide feedback on training, operational support material and recommendations integral to improve the objectives of the Programme.
Travel, accommodation and subsistence costs during deployment will be covered by the project.
TrainingOnce Observers are approved by the ICCAT secretariat they will be required to attend a 2 week training programme at our London Offices covering all aspects of the job:
- Health & Safety
- Language
- Technical
- Operational
Rate of Pay
During training and during transit: £50 per day.
Whilst at-sea: £90 per day.
Bycatch Monitoring of Whitefish & Nephrops Fisheries in the North Sea
Background
This year's arrangements give vessels using either 'whitefish' or 'nephrops' gear the opportunity to receive additional days
at sea if they have an observer on board who confirms that the vessels' catch of cod, sole and plaice represented less than
5% of the total catch during each trip. Under the new derogation, these the days at sea would not count against its annual
allowance.
Whitefish vessels fishing in the North Sea, who do not wish to participate in the UK's system of automatic licence suspensions, currently receive 156 days per annum. If, for example, a vessel needs to spend 196 days at sea in order to catch and land its quota, it must therefore acquire an additional 40 days. In theory, this vessel could now do this by doing 4 x 10 day fishing trips with an observer on board, provided the catch does not exceed the 5% thresholds. If the vessel catches more than 5% of either cod, sole or plaice, the skipper still has the flexibility to make an economic decision. "Do I change grounds and try to get below the threshold, or will the value of my catch on this trip mean that I am prepared for it to count against my annual 'cod days' allocation".
Nephrops vessels fishing in the North Sea currently receive a baseline allocation of between 204 and 209 days per annum, depending on the mesh size they use. Vessels which completed trips in the North Sea with observers on board, who can confirm that their catch did not exceed the 5% thresholds, could receive up to 76 additional days at sea.
MRAG have been asked to supply observers, initially for a pilot project, to cover 10 trips with a view to expanding it in the future.
Suitability
- Candidates must hold an EU passport.
- Candidates with the following experience will be considered:
- Domestic or international fisheries observer/monitoring programmes;
- Participation in research cruises or scientific surveys;
- Held a post as a fisheries officer;
- Possess practical at-sea fisheries experience; and
- Suitable academic and vocational qualifications will also be considered.
- Possess an Medical Fitness Certificate suitable for working offshore e.g. merchant shipping medical (ENG1)
- Possess a Personal Survival Techniques or Sea Survival Techniques certificate.
Opportunities for Work
To be confirmed but potentially Autumn/Winter 2007
Job Description
To be confirmed but
- Monitoring catch and effort
- Collecting data on a trawl by trawls basis
- Maintain record of all catch by species
- Report production
Training
To be confirmed
Rate of Pay
To be confirmed.
Celtic Sea
Background
Understanding the foraging needs of marine animals, especially the top predators, is critically important to improve
understanding of how predators and prey interact and how changes in the environment may affect the transfer of energy
between trophic levels. Previous studies have indicated that within shallow seas regions there may be critical areas
where specific combinations of physical and/or biological features provide the limited locations where top marine predators
can capture their prey.
As a result a research opportunity provided by the NERC Core Science Project (Oceans 2025 programme, Shelf and Coastal Process, Theme 3) will combine the expertise of research from the University of Aberdeen with the Proudman Oceanographic Laboratory, Scottish Association for Marine Science, Centre for Environment, Fisheries & Aquaculture Science, Fisheries Research Services, Joint Nature Conservation Committee, Marine Resources Assessment Group, and the Cornish Fish Producers Organisation.
The project will be implemented through an interdisciplinary approach that utilises both previously collected data and new data from a cruise in 2008 of physical and biological oceanographic features, acoustic sonar backscatter, visual observations of seabirds and marine mammals, vocalisations of cetaceans, fishery observations, as well as background fisheries and marine animal survey data. This information will be used to identify and define the characteristics of the limited locations and the physical and/or biological mechanisms that may lead to the facilitation of predator-prey interactions. This research will provide new insights into the interaction of multiple marine trophic levels and bring benefits to wide range of statutory, conservation and applied organisations as well as greatly improve our ecological understanding of how marine ecosystems function.
Suitability
- Candidates must hold an EU passport.
- Candidates with the following experience will be considered:
- Participation in research cruises or scientific surveys;
- Domestic or international fisheries observer/monitoring programmes;
- Held a post as a fisheries officer;
- Possess practical at-sea fisheries experience;
- Suitable academic and vocational qualifications;
- Possess an Medical Fitness Certificate suitable for working offshore e.g. merchant shipping medical (ENG1)
- Possess a Personal Survival Techniques or Sea Survival Techniques certificate.
Opportunities for Work
Two high calibre observers are required. Deployments will be between 2 and 3 weeks in month (TBC), 2008.
Job Description
They will be deployed on gill netter and beam trawlers operating from ports in Cornwall, probably Newlyn. The Beam trawlers
will provide catches of the bottom fish such as monk, megrim and sole. With the gill-netters targeting hake, cod, whiting, etc.
For the 'prey' fishes, smaller mesh gill nets will be used for a percentage of the tows.
The outputs of each observer trip will comprise:
- A data set for catch and effort providing temporal, spatial details and catch composition by number in both paper and electronic (TBA) form;
- A data set of length frequencies for 4 key species (to be identified) for each haul in selected areas and for 2 trawls per day for the remainder of the trip, both paper and electronic (TBA) form;
- A report which includes a description of the trip, methodologies used by the observer to sample the catch and any other observations which inform the project.
Training
Prior to observer deployment, a one day briefing will take place at MRAG's London offices during which the selected observers will be introduced to the project, its objectives, their role onboard the vessels; the expected programme outputs and operational procedures including the deployment system. This also provides an opportunity for staff from the project partners to meet and brief the observers directly if necessary.
Accommodation and subsistence costs will be met by us.
Rate of Pay
To be confirmed.
Still Interested in any of these Posts? Here is how you can get involved
In order to assess your suitability we would be grateful if you would submit:
- A cover letter stating:
- The programme you are interested in
- Your full contact details - email, mobile/cell phone, telephone landline
- A 2/3 page (maximum) CV;
- References; and
- Copies of appropriate certificates.
It is imperative that you check that your credentials and availability are compatible with the Programme you wish to get involved in.
All applications should be submitted electronically.
What's Next
Please send your application to the address below:
