West Coast Commercial Fishing Vessel Cost Earnings Survey

National Marine Fisheries Service
2725 Montlake Blvd E.
Seattle, WA 98112

Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission
205 SE Spokane St, Suite 100
Portland, OR 97202

Dear Mr. Charles Smith

We would like to invite you to participate in a cost earnings survey of commercial fishing vessel owners
being conducted by the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission in cooperation with the National
Marine Fisheries Service. This survey targets vessel owners who (1) participate in the West Coast
groundfish, salmon, crab, and shrimp fisheries and (2) do no hold a limited entry permit. This survey was
designed through industry collaboration and updates a similar survey conducted during 2007. Our goal is
to support fisheries management decision-making and to generate information that is required to help
meet legal and regulatory requirements.
Data will be collected through in-person interviews and mail questionnaires. Based on the availability of
a telephone number, you have been selected for an in-person interview. During your interview, the
interviewer will ask you the questions on the enclosed questionnaire. The enclosed questionnaire is
provided at this time so that you know what information to have available during the interview. You do
not need to return the questionnaire prior to the interview. We will contact you by telephone to schedule
a time and place to meet for the interview at your convenience.
We appreciate the confidential nature of the data being collected by this survey. When publishing survey
results, we will combine your responses with information provided by other participants, and report it in
summary form so that responses for any individual vessel cannot be identified. If a Freedom of
Information Act (FOIA) request is received for the data collected by this survey, we will seek to protect
the confidentiality of the survey responses under Exemption 4 of the FOIA.
Because you and other vessel owners are the only ones that can provide this information, we encourage
you to participate in this survey. By collecting information on individual vessels, we can better
understand average fleet characteristics as well as diversity within the fleet. Fisheries managers will be
better able to consider the effect of regulations.
Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Carl Lian
National Marine Fisheries Service
carl.lian@noaa.gov
(206)-302-2414

Dave Colpo
Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission
dave.colpo@psmfc.org
503-595-3100

National Marine Fisheries Service
2725 Montlake Blvd E.
Seattle, WA 98112

Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission
205 SE Spokane St, Suite 100
Portland, OR 97202

Dear Mr. Charles Smith

We would like to invite you to participate in a cost earnings survey of commercial fishing vessel owners
being conducted by the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission in cooperation with the National
Marine Fisheries Service. This survey targets vessel owners who (1) participate in the West Coast
groundfish, salmon, crab, and shrimp fisheries and (2) do no hold a limited entry permit. This survey was
designed through industry collaboration and updates a similar survey conducted during 2007. Our goal is
to support fisheries management decision-making and to generate information that is required to help
meet legal and regulatory requirements.
Data will be collected through in-person interviews and mail questionnaires. Based on the lack of
availability of a telephone number, you have been selected for a mail questionnaire. A copy of the mail
questionnaire is enclosed. Please complete the questionnaire and return it in the enclosed self-addressed
stamped envelope.
We appreciate the confidential nature of the data being collected by this survey. When publishing survey
results, we will combine your responses with information provided by other participants, and report it in
summary form so that responses for any individual vessel cannot be identified. If a Freedom of
Information Act (FOIA) request is received for the data collected by this survey, we will seek to protect
the confidentiality of the survey responses under Exemption 4 of the FOIA.
Because you and other vessel owners are the only ones that can provide this information, we encourage
you to participate in this survey. By collecting information on individual vessels, we can better
understand average fleet characteristics as well as diversity within the fleet. Fisheries managers will be
better able to consider the effect of regulations.
Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Carl Lian
National Marine Fisheries Service
carl.lian@noaa.gov
(206)-302-2414

Dave Colpo
Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission
dave.colpo@psmfc.org
503-595-3100