A project to collect labor data on deckhands in every fishery has been under development for two years, and it seemed to be on its way to legislative approval this year. Through this programme the state can count the crews board fishing boats easily. It is expected that this programme would be stall this season. Mark Vinsel, UFA executive director, said that they support the project but feel the burden should be on the crew. He added that skippers can verify the information.
UFA president-elect Arni Thomson told that some setnetters work four or five sites. They’d likely have to hire a bookkeeper to keep track of all the data. Jan Conitz, project director for the state Department of Fish & Game, explained that having the crew do their own reporting was the originally idea, but analyses showed it was not feasible for collecting the kinds and quality of data needed.
According to Conitz it is difficult to track who is fishing as crew members because database show persons who purchased licenses but it is unknown where they fished or how long, or if they even fished at all. Others use a limited-entry permit (for commercial salmon fishing) to qualify for crew license. But this new programme would be worthwhile.
The biggest beneficiary of the labor data will be coastal communities. Experts said that if they can demonstrate the entire economic impact of the workforce — where they live and to some extent what they earn and what they are spending — that bolsters the industry as a whole.
