Request to add burden hours to 0648-0052

Request to Adjust PRA Burden Hours for the Marine Recreational Fisheries
Statistics Survey (OMB Control No. 0645-0052)
The NOAA Fisheries Service, Office of Science and Technology requests to adjust
estimated FY07 and FY08 PRA burden hours for their PRA entitled, “Marine
Recreational Fisheries Statistics Survey” (OMB Control No. 0648-0052). We request
841 additional burden hours in order to expand directory-frame telephone surveys of
licensed marine recreational anglers into North Carolina, as well as extend the current
directory-frame telephone survey that is being conducted in the Gulf of Mexico region
through 2008. We currently have clearance for 44,473 burden hours to collect
recreational fishing catch and effort data. This adjustment will accommodate an
additional 13,567 angler interviews in FL, AL, MS, LA and NC.
The burden hours for this adjustment are estimated as follows
Persons

Contacts

Mean
Time
(min.)

Total Time
(hours)

Anglers with no trips*

8,140

8,140

1.0

136

Anglers with trips

5,427

5,427

7.8

705

TOTALS

13,567**

13,567

*
**

841

Based on 40 percent of anglers having trips during last two months.
Based on sample sizes of 4,634 in FL, 858 in AL, 884 in MS, 2,320 in LA,
and 4,871 in NC.

This survey will utilize the questionnaire, sampling and estimation methods that have
previously been approved for CA, OR, WA, and the Gulf of Mexico region. The current
methodology for collecting recreational fishing effort data (Coastal Household Telephone
Survey or CHTS) relies on random household contacts to identify anglers (Random Digit
Dialing or RDD approach). This technique is relatively inefficient, as a small percentage
of contacted households actually participate in saltwater fishing. A much more efficient
approach utilizes directories of licensed saltwater anglers as sampling frames. In 2007,
we expanded this method to the Gulf of Mexico region. This pilot study utilizes
directories of saltwater license holders in Florida, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana as
sampling frames. We would like to extend this pilot study through 2008. In addition, the
state of North Carolina recently implemented a saltwater fishing license, so we would
like to expand the pilot study to include North Carolina. The pilot study (Gulf of Mexico
region and NC) will overlap with the CHTS to allow for side-by-side comparisons and
calibration of the new effort estimation approach with the traditional method.