Washington and Oregon Marine Charter Fishing 2012 Calendar Year Cost and 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

<< Date >>

<< Name >>

<< Address >>

Dear << First Name >>,

I am writing to ask your help in improving the understanding of Washington and Oregon’s recreational fisheries and the charter fishing vessel industry by participating in a survey being conducted by the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission in cooperation with the Northwest Fisheries Science Center. The information collected will be used to provide estimates of the economic contributions of recreational fisheries, and the impact that changes in economic, environmental, and management conditions may have on these fisheries. The study survey will focus on two primary types of information: (1) information on business costs and earnings to be used for assessing the economic contribution and financial performance of this fleet, and (2) your opinions about the economic state of charter recreational fisheries. The information collected will be aggregated for reporting purposes to insure your confidentiality and reported to resource managers and the public.

As a licensed charter vessel owner, we are hoping that you can help in this study. Your contact information was obtained from either the Washington or Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife through a cooperative agreement with the National Marine Fisheries Service. Data collected will be kept confidential as required by section 402(b) of the Magnuson-Stevens Act and NOAA Administrative Order 216-100, Confidentiality of Fisheries Statistics. 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. While your participation is voluntary, we hope that you can help us in this research. If you have any questions or concerns pertaining to this survey, please contact Jerry Leonard by telephone at 206-302-1742 or by email at jerry.leonard@noaa.gov.

Surveys will be conducted by << contractor>> through an in-person interview at a convenient location near you. Please see the attached FAQ sheet for more information. << contractor>> will be contacting you in the upcoming weeks to schedule an in-person interview. You may contact << contractor>> by telephone at << number>> or by email at << email>>.

Your participation is greatly appreciated. Let your voice be heard.

Sincerely,

< Signature >

Jerry Leonoard

NOAA Northwest Fisheries Science Center

2725 Montlake Blvd. East

Seattle WA, 98117

206-302-1742 (jerry.leonard@noaa.gov)