- Observers have a handbook available that sets out Conservation Management Measures and Resolutions for the WCPFC.
- Agreed minimum standards/Commission requirements exist for all aspects of the Regional Observer Programme, and these are supplemented by guidelines and programme expectations. The guidelines show how observers can achieve the minimum standards.
- Support for national tuna fishery monitoring: SPC’s Fisheries Monitoring Section has been closely involved in the development of the Pacific Islands Regional Fisheries Observer (PIRFO) standards, in collaboration with SPC members, the Forum Fisheries Agency and the Secretariat of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission.
- The 2015 International Observer Bill of Rights and Codes of Conduct for Responsible Observer Programmes was published by the Association for Professional Observers. It covers welfare, professionalism, employment terms, health, safety, wages, professional development, and observer and stakeholder responsibilities.
- Improving fishery monitoring programmes was the theme of the 2016 International Fisheries Observer and Monitoring Conference. These proceedings cover developing, promoting and enhancing effective fishery monitoring programmes to ensure sustainable resource management worldwide.
- To reduce bycatch of seabirds, organisations need adequate amounts of, and quality, data about seabird bycatch to review the measures. This 2016 paper talks about what data is needed from observer programmes to improve the knowledge of fishery impacts on albatrosses and petrels.
- Minimum Standards for Electronic Monitoring in Tropical Tuna Purse Seine Fisheries, ISSF, February 2018 – this report presents minimum standards for electronic monitoring systems on tropical tuna purse seine vessels. These standards are meant to be auditable for the purpose of demonstrating best practice.
- A guidebook on the Purse Seine Observer Training is available from ISSF and describes the suggested best practices related to functions of the purse seine observer.
