APO Focus Areas
Recently, with the help of Member feedback and many Board discussions, we came to the realization that the outcomes of certain APO projects had historically been presented in such a manner that their usefulness in establishing foundations for future projects to be built upon was limited. We then decided to engage these issues by initiating an organizational and web restructuring scheme meant to optimize the utility of these important resources and to help APO Members become more involved in the eventual outcomes of APO projects.With the intention of accommodating the APO's Mission and Visions in a more focused, consistent, and directed manner, we have identified and initiated four project-oriented APO Focus Areas meant to encompass the directives of all current and foreseen projects, actions, and outcomes of the APO.
The four focus areas are: Education and Outreach; Observer Data; Observer Health, Safety and Welfare; and, Observer Labor and Professionalism. Each focus area is coordinated by at least two APO Board member representatives who will manage all activities that fall under that particular area of APO work and who will act as contacts for that APO Focus Area. Outside involvement is greatly encouraged for all APO Focus Areas, and we anticipate that members, volunteers, and interns will play important roles in the successful outcomes of many focus area projects. We will of course acknowledge all help in project outcomes and regular Focus Area Volunteers will be recognized on the APO website.
Please take the time to navigate to each of the four APO Focus Area pages listed below. Perhaps you will notice there are certain issues you would like to see addressed within the work of an existing project, or you may even have an idea for a new project you would like to help initiate. Nevertheless, we hope you will find useful information within these pages concerning the current work of the APO as well as important resources designated by each of these four general areas of APO work. For more information specific to each APO Focus Area, please navigate to the following pages, and, if you have any interest in volunteering, you will find focus area contact information listed there.
The work of the APO Educational and Outreach focus area is centered around initiating and managing projects intended to: support the dissemination of educational information related to the Fisheries Observer profession; increase and improve the utility of Fisheries Observer, fisheries management, and fisheries science resources available to the public; and to reach out, among a wide range of stakeholders internationally, in order to foster a broadened vantage among all of the APO's work.
The work of the APO Observer Data focus area is centered around initiating and managing projects intended to provide resources regarding important issues related to: the public access to Fisheries Observer data; observer data collection protocols; observer training and data quality control standards; observer program service delivery model structuring; and, rules that have an impact on the independence and integrity of fisheries resource monitoring programs and the resultant data collected.
To investigate the usage of observer data, click here.
Observer Health, Safety, and Welfare
The work of the APO Observer Health, Safety, and Welfare focus area is centered around initiating and managing projects intended to provide resources regarding important initiatives meant to foster the health, safety, and general welfare of Fisheries Observers, like: at-sea working conditions and emergency procedures; safety training, rules and standards; drills, inspections, and compliance and enforcement of rules and standards; and, protection of observers' professional livelihood while at sea.Observer Labor and Professionalism
The work of the APO Observer Labor and Professionalism focus area is centered around initiating and managing projects intended to identify initiatives associated with fostering heightened observer professionalism and addressing issues that have bearing on the fair and equitable labor rights of Fisheries Observers.Note: All of the APO Focus Area pages and associated pages and links should be considered "under construction". With consideration for the immense amount of information presented on the APO site, this restructuring will take a great deal of time to complete. Please do not be discouraged if you navigate to a particular page that may be incomplete and please feel free to provide your comments and suggestions back to us regarding our restructuring: apo@apo-observers.org (be sure to put "Focus Area Restructuring" in the subject heading). Your feedback would be greatly appreciated during this process and we will provide periodic updates in regards to focus area developments via the Mail Buoy newsletter.