Provincial/state/local programme

• The USA VMS programme is comprised of five sub-programmes in different administrative divisions within NOAA’s Fisheries Service. Each programme is administered independently, and all are connected to a central NOAA VMS database and to the US Coast Guard.
• The Northwest Region includes marine waters off US states of Washington, Oregon and California.

Fisheries monitored by VMS

• Limited entry permitted vessels. Vessels that fish in a Rockfish Conservation Area (RCA) with the following gear type, must declare their intentions to fish with OLE NW Division:
  • Limited entry fixed gear
  • Limited entry midwater trawl gear
  • Limited entry bottom trawl gear
  • Pink shrimp, spot prawn and ridgeback prawn trawl gear
  • California halibut trawl gear
  • Sea cucumber trawl gear
  • Tribal trawl gear
  • Spot prawn and ridgeback prawn non-trawl gear
  • Crab or lobster gear
  • Pacific Halibut gear
  • Salmon troll gear
  • California halibut gear
  • California Sheephead gear
  • Gear used to take species under the Highly Migratory Species Fishery Management Plan
  • Gear used to take species under the Coastal Pelagic Species Fishery Management Plan
  • Gear used to take species managed by the State of California as the “gillnet complex”
  • Others

Number of vessels monitored by VMS

• Total: 297

Vessel size range

• 17.5 ft (5.3 m) to 308 ft (93.9 m)

Purpose of VMS monitoring

• Monitoring compliance with regulated fishing zones

Security measures

• Control centre: Physical and electronic measures

Legal framework

• Regional (US Code of Federal Regulations, Title 50, Part 660)
• National (Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (USA Public Law 94-265)

Funding strategy

• Vessel owner pays for equipment purchase, installation and maintenance.
• Vessel owner pays for required position reports.
• Federal government pays for additional polling, declarations.

Staffing level

• 3 full time

Additional integrated programmes

• Declaration of intent to fish

Anticipated growth

• To 1 500 to 4 000 vessels over next five years

Contacts

Joseph Albert, VMS Programme Manager, Northwest

NOAA Fisheries Law Enforcement
7600 Sand Point Way, NE
Seattle
Washington
98115
United States of America
Telephone: (+1) 206 526 6133
Fax: (+1) 206 526 6528

Web site: http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/ole/nw_northwest.html