WASHINGTON, DC, August 29, 2007 (ENS) – Attacks against government observers monitoring commercial fishing fleets doubled in one year, an indication of rising tensions on the high seas, according to agency figures released today by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, PEER.

Observers on fishing vessels track the catch to manage quotas and report any harm to marine mammals and other marine species.

But even as reported incidents increase, the government agency responsible for the monitoring program, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, has stopped keeping track of incidents.  NOAA Fishing Observers Suffer More Attacks at Sea

Gee, I wonder why?