NOAA fishery observers and Vietnamese American fishers in the Southeastern US

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) Observer Program places scientist-observers onto commercial fishing vessels to collect data regarding catch and report violations of relevant regulations. This study examines the experience of Vietnamese American fishers in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama with this federal observer program. It concludes that current observer training inadequately addresses potential language and cultural barriers between fishers and observers, undermining the potential of the observer policy. Based on these findings, it is recommended that observer training be expanded to include cultural sensitivity training and foreign language resources.