Ports of sailing

Commercial fishing vessels in Atlantic Canada operate from the multitude of small and large ports. Javitech Atlantic deploys Observers throughout the 4 Atlantic provinces (Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland & Labrador) in addition to Quebec.

Work at sea

Fisheries Observers work aboard commercial vessels.  Working conditions vary greatly depending on the size of the vessel, which can range from less than 40 feet to over 200 feet in length.  Weather conditions are often cold and damp.  Observers often work on open decks of smaller vessels or in the processing areas of larger factory freezer vessels.  Sampling often requires vigorous physical activity to collect, measure and record biological data.  Fisheries Observers are most often deployed alone to a vessel to work independently from the crew in a monitoring capacity.  Trip durations for newer Observers typically vary from several hours to a week.  More experienced Observers are offered longer deployments that can last from well over a week to in excess of a month.