1. a) Define mandate.
b) What mandate did a 2006 federal law establish?

2. How does the federal government enforce the 2006 law?

3. How do commercial fishermen regard the observers?

4. What alternative do commercial fishermen suggest in place of observers?

5. How has the government responded to the solution offered by commercial fishermen?

6. a) Is the government's practice of observers being physically present the best way to make sure the law is enforced? Explain your answer.
b) Suggest at least one alternative that was not mentioned in the article.

7. Is this a necessary law or government intrusion? Explain your answer.

8. Discuss the following questions:

1. Should observers be surprised that the fishermen object to being observed?
2. Should commercial fishermen be opposed to government regulation as a means to ensure that the waters are not over-fished and the stocks depleted?
3. If you had a government monitor watching you as you did your job to ensure your honesty, how would you react?
4. If commercial fishermen should be monitored to ensure compliance with the law, should other industries be monitored this closely as well? (Should the government hire observers to monitor every industry in the U.S. as these individuals go about their jobs? teachers? law enforcement? doctors? accountants? lawyers? engineers? chefs? construction workers? home health care aids, day care workers, etc.) What criteria are necessary to determine which industries have full-time observers?
5. The last paragraph of the article: "In 2012, Congress appropriated $54.9 million for observers, while fishermen contributed another $19 million. The government is still fully paying for monitoring Northeast cod fleets, but plans to shift the cost to the industry." Is it right for the government to force fishermen to accept observers, and then to pay their salaries as well?
6. Should all industries that are monitored by the government have to foot the bill for the monitors?
7. Questions the article doesn't answer: How big a problem was overfishing? Is the problem too many fishermen (the more commercial boats, the more fish being caught, even if each only gets their quota)? Is there a limit to the number of commercial fishing licenses the government sells? Is the issue that most commercial fishermen are stupid and greedy, and therefore need to be regulated? Are the observers respectful of the fishermen, their livlihood, their way of life?