AFMA 2026/27 Fisheries Observer & Electronic Monitoring Analyst Temporary Employment Register

About AFMA

The Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA) aims to provide ecologically sustainable and economically efficient Commonwealth fisheries, through understanding and monitoring Australia’s marine living resources and regulating and monitoring commercial fishing, including domestic licensing and deterrence of illegal foreign fishing.

About the branch

The Fisheries Information and Service Branch (FISB) is AFMA’s innovation hub and delivers AFMA’s core services and monitoring programs including the observer program, licencing, and business intelligence.

About the team

The Independent Monitoring team is responsible for ensuring the effective and efficient delivery of AFMA’s Electronic Monitoring and Observer Programs.

About the Observer Program

The Observer Program is one of two at sea monitoring programs used to collect and verify scientific data that underpins evidence-based fisheries management decisions across Commonwealth fisheries. Data collected includes catch, effort, deployment of mitigation measures, interactions with protected species and biological data such as otoliths and length measurements. Our Observers validate high risk fishing activities, identify emerging risks and issues on vessels, and supply high-quality information that supports stock assessments, fisheries management decisions and risk-based compliance activities.

The Observer Program deploys fisheries observers from their home locations into any of the 24 Commonwealth fisheries across the Australian Fishing Zone and/or on the high seas or into the Southern Ocean. Observers work onboard Commonwealth fishing vessels or conduct port-based sampling to gather high-quality scientific information. The data collected through the Observer Program supports stock assessments and helps assess how Commonwealth fisheries management arrangements are functioning.

The Canberra based Observer Administration Team provides dedicated support to fisheries observers, coordinating deployments and working closely with AFMA business areas to understand and meet each fishery’s observer requirements.

About the Electronic Monitoring Program

The Electronic Monitoring (EM) program validates critical data, provides independent validation and monitoring of high-risk components of fisheries, and enables the identification of new and/or emerging risks and issues on-board fishing vessels. The information and data collected supports evidence-based decision making and informs risk-based compliance activities.

AFMA’s EM program is cutting edge globally and is utilised by all business areas, requiring the team to maintain excellent relationships with internal clients and remain in close connection and collaboration with external stakeholders working on electronic monitoring and electronic monitoring vendors globally.

In addition, AFMA’s EM program has been used in a demonstrative way in international fora, including critically in regional fisheries management organisations to which Australia is a party.

The Observer Program

Working as an Observer is a unique, adventurous and highly rewarding career that offers unparalleled field experience and deep insight into life at sea. Observers are deployed from their home locations, enabling excellent work–life balance and flexible working arrangements. The role involves working in remote and often challenging environments, requiring resilience and the ability to operate independently in cold, wet conditions, rough seas and confined living quarters. Observers also undertake port-based sampling and regularly liaise with industry, AFMA management, compliance teams, peers and office-based staff, with all duties performed under limited supervision.

AFMA’s Observers are deployed on a variety of commercial fishing vessels in and out of the Australian Fishing Zone domestically and internationally. The primary functions of the role include observing and documenting commercial fishing catches, collecting vessel, technical and biological data which is not normally obtainable through vessel logbooks, monitoring operations and documenting interactions with endangered, threatened, and protected species (ETPs).

The Electronic Monitoring Program

EM Analysts play an important role in supporting fisheries management, compliance monitoring, scientific research and the integrity of fisheries reporting.

EM Analysts review and analyse EM data including video, sensor and geolocation data to validate commercial fishing operations and fisheries logbook information.

This includes, but is not limited to, collecting and assessing information relating to:

• Fishing activity, including total catch, retained catch and discards for commercial species and bycatch.
• Interactions between fishing gear and protected species.
• Fishing effort, such as the number of hooks deployed or fishing sets conducted.
• Vessel gear usage, including the application of mitigation devices (e.g. seabird mitigation measures).

To find out more about the key responsibilities and requirements of these positions, refer to the position descriptions.

To be eligible for this role applicants must:

• be an Australian citizen
• have the ability to obtain, and maintain, a Baseline security clearance
• satisfy the requirements of an Australian Federal Police Check.
• For the Fisheries Observer program - hold, or have the capacity to obtain and maintain, a valid Australian passport.

The Electronic Monitoring Analyst positions are Canberra based. Applicants for this position are expected to be located in Canberra or relocate to Canberra at their own expense.