More should have been done to investigate the deaths of three at-sea fisheries observers in 2015 and 2016, according to a newly released report commissioned by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
The report, completed in December 2017 and released publicly in May, called the deaths of two NOAA Fisheries-trained observers and a foreign observer on a U.S.-flagged fishing vessel over a 12-month period “highly unusual.” Yet because NOAA and its Regional Observer Programs currently lack a systematic process for following up on mortalities and other “significant incidents” that befall observers on active duty, “there remain many outstanding questions” about the recent observer deaths and about the “nature and effectiveness of the communications protocols and actions taken in response to these fatalities,” according to the 545-page report.
"It remains troubling that three observers ... were lost in the line of duty over the space of a year, yet there has to date been no official closure or systematic analysis of lessons learned with respect to any of them," the report said.
The report delves in detail into the cases of two of the three deceased observers: American Keith Davis, who disappeared while working onboard a Panama-flagged reefer vessel; and Fijian citizen Usaia Masibalavu, who died while serving on board U.S.-flagged tuna purse-seine vessel. It found serious cause for concern regarding gaps and inconsistencies between the safety policies and practices of U.S. ROPs and those of international observer programs in which US citizen observers participate. Furthermore, it said more could have been done to investigate the deaths of the observers in 2015 and 2016.
"While aware that NOAA Fisheries is not an investigative agency, and that jurisdictional and geographical issues were very complex in two of the three cases, the review team believes that more could have been done in cooperation with other agencies involved to pursue more comprehensive and transparent closure of these tragic incidents," the report said.
In its conclusion, the report recommended the creation of a comprehensive collection of best practices that includes “a robust, timely and transparent process" for reporting all serious incidents.
"Particularly in cases of incidents involving serious injury or death of an observer, the agency should ensure that all necessary resources are brought to bear so that the root causes can be identified, appropriate actions can be taken to prevent or mitigate the consequences of a recurrence, and lessons learned can be applied to future safety training and policy development," the report said.
NOAA spokesperson John Ewald told E&E News the report was commissioned partially to seek to learn from the loss of the three observers.
"[NOAA] is deeply saddened by the tragedies, which is one of the reasons we commissioned this important report,” Ewald said. "Fishing is one of the most dangerous professions in the world, and we take observer safety very seriously, not only in our U.S. domestic programs but also observer programs managed under international organizations. We are developing an action plan based on the findings and recommendations of this report and will report on our progress publicly."
NOAA has an estimated 900 observers and at-sea monitors currently assigned to fishing vessels. Their job is to collect data and ensure fishermen follow federal rules.
Photo courtesy of Disappearance of Keith Davis/GoFundMe
