A multi-year NOAA study of fisheries observers working alongside commercial fishing crews for weeks to months at a time provided data showing that 45% of observers experience harassment in any given year.
While U.S. fisheries are among the safest in the world, there are inherent risks that observers face while working in remote and offshore locations, as well as work that can be dangerous and put them in vulnerable situations, NOAA said in the report released on Jan. 29.
Emily Menashes, acting administrator of NOAA Fisheries, said the document provides proof that official statements don’t capture the whole picture of harassment rates.
“It presents a new method for better accounting for non-disclosure,” Menashes said. “The work of this team is a critical step to help us focus our continuing efforts to end these types of behavior and provide a safer working environment for fisheries observers.”
To quantify harassment issues, authorities rely on official statements submitted by observers following their assignment. NOAA acknowledged that many victims tend not to disclose harassment. The multi-year study was an effort to determine the true rate of victimization occurring at sea over recent years.
The study was conducted by special agents at the Alaska Office of Law Enforcement, Alaska Fisheries Science Center and the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission. Lacey Jeroue, co-author and Alaska Marine Mammal Observer Program manager for Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission, noted that official statements submitted by observers reflect both an incident of harassment and also an observer’s willingness to disclose information.
“Relying on official statements alone makes it impossible to know if risk reduction strategies moved the needle on actual harassment or just the tendency to disclose it,” Jeroue said.
The study team found that disclosure rates were not influenced by observer gender or experience, but heavily influenced by the type of harassment experienced. The percentage of observers who reported victimization annually via official statements for 2016-2017 included 8% for sexual harassment, 57% for assault, and 37% for intimidation, coercion and hostile work environment.
Researchers estimated that about one-third of the 350-400 North Pacific observers experienced victimization annually.
NOAA officials said they have taken an aggressive approach to addressing employee safety on NOAA vessels – with clear expectations for conduct, assuring swift rand appropriate accountability, and adaption to changing workforce and workplace conditions.
Update: A previous version of this story used a Cordova Times file photo of a boat. It has been removed and replaced with a stock image.
