(1) There shall be appointed authorised persons, including authorised officers, inspectors and observers for carrying out functions relating to monitoring, control surveillance and enforcement in accordance with the objective and purposes of this Act.

(1) The Director of Fisheries shall establish an observer program as a national conservation measure and under a fisheries management agreement or other regional fisheries management organisations for the purpose of collecting, recording and reporting reliable and accurate information for scientific, conservation, management and compliance purposes including information on – (a) the species, quantity, size, age and condition of fish taken; (b) the methods by which, the areas in which, and the depths at which, fish are taken; (c) the effects of fishing methods on fish and the environment; (d) all aspects of the operation of any vessel; (e) processing, transportation, transshipment, storage or disposal of any fish or fish products; (f) monitoring the implementation of management measures and applicable international conservation and management measures; and (g) any other matter that may assist the Director to obtain, analyse or verify information for fisheries scientific, conservation, management and compliance purposes. (2) Observers may be deployed, as may be directed by the Director of Fisheries in accordance with this Act, any applicable international agreement or international conservation and management measure, on any vessel used for fishing, transshipment, transportation or landing of fish within and beyond the fisheries waters or any other use as may fall within the scope of this Act. (3) The Director of Fisheries may require as a condition of a licence issued under this Act that the operator of a fishing vessel comply with any requirement that may be imposed pursuant to the observer program. (4) An operator who does not comply with any requirements given by the Director of Fisheries under subsection (3) commits and offense and is liable on conviction to such fine or to a term of imprisonment as the Minister may, by statutory instrument, prescribe. (5) Where an operator is convicted of an offense under subsection (4), the applicable licence in respect of the vessel or operator shall be cancelled and no further licence shall be issued for at least 1 year from the date of commission of the offense.

(1) The Director of Fisheries may, in accordance with such standards and procedures as may be prescribed by the Minister, appoint in writing- (a) observers for the purposes of an observer program authorised to collect, record and report reliable and accurate information for scientific, management, and compliance purposes. (b) observers of other States for the purposes of implementing an agreement or arrangement to which Sierra Leone is a party, including a fisheries management agreement, or any international conservation and management measure.

(2) A Sierra Leonean observer who is performing his duties under this Act in the jurisdiction of any other State shall comply with the laws of that State. (3) A Sierra Leonean observer who does not comply with subsection (2) commits and offense and is liable on conviction to such fine or to a term of imprisonment as the Minister may, by statutory instrument, prescribe.