Submission deadline passed.
Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission (PSMFC) intends to charter a stern trawling fishing vessel engaged in the Pacific whiting fishery to participate in a fisheries research project testing a Bycatch Reduction Device (BRD) designed to reduce Chinook salmon, Oncorhynchus tshawytscha, and rockfish, Sebastes spp., bycatch. This project will be a collaborative study between the PSMFC, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)-National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), and the west coast Pacific whiting fishing industry. PSMFC and NMFS will be responsible for designing the project and providing any supplies needed to modify the BRD for the experiment. PSMFC and NMFS will provide all scientific equipment. This research charter will be conducted over two chartered trips totaling no more than 8 to 10 days at sea: one prior to the opening of the shore-based sector of the Pacific whiting fishery, and the other after the closure of the shore-based sector of the Pacific whiting fishery. One chartered vessel will be required. The actual days at sea are subject to change based upon weather, sampling logistics, and/or contingencies. Mobilization and demobilization will be conducted in Newport, OR. The mobilization time is necessary for completing the following: (1) loading gear, (2) planning use of deck space, (3) setting up electronics, and (4) orienting the scientific crew with the vessel. The demobilization time frame will include offloading and packing of scientific gear brought aboard the vessel for the project.
Original posting date: 3.8.2010