CV and SP EDR focus group summary

FOCUS GROUP NOTES

GOA TRW EDRs

April 2014

A brief explanation of the revisions is as follows. In early April 2014, I conducted a focus group and individual interviews with CV operators and processing plant managers in Kodiak (my meeting notes are attached), during which vessel operators/managers indicated that most of the CV's in the Kodiak fleet did not have flow meters installed, and that captains did not consistently track the fuel use rate or total quantity of fuel used under different operating conditions. Based on this finding, I recommended to the Council at their April 2014 meeting that the CV form should be modified to eliminate the question re: fuel consumption rates and quantities by operational mode (fishing/steaming empty/steaming full). I also recommended revising the fuel cost variable to include the cost of other fluids added at fueling with the cost of fuel, based on feedback from vessel operators indicating that fuel invoices do not consistently itemize charges for diesel and other fluids (hydraulic, lubrication) separately, such that it would be easier and more consistent to request the combined fuel+fluids cost (Table 2 in the 3/26 draft, Table 1 in the 6/20/14 draft). Significant additional detail was added to instructional text in the CV form for Fishing Gear Costs (both Excluder Device Cost and Trawl Gear Cost), Number of Paid Fishing Crew Members, and Labor Payment to Fishing Crew items, and in the Number of Groundfish Processing Employees and non-processing labor Salaries and Wages item in the shoreside processor form. In all cases, the additional detail was added based on industry feedback indicating that the additional detail was needed to sufficiently define the information to be reported to improve consistency of interpretation and reporting burden, and did not expand the content of information requested.

No substantive changes were made to the content of information requested in of any of the forms subsequent to the 3/26/14 drafts, other than those described above, although some minor proofing changes were made to instructional text in the CV and shoreside processor forms.

Also note that the feedback regarding fuel use rates and fuel flow meters received from CV operators at the April focus group does not apply to CP vessels, which are much larger and extensively instrumented, and have demonstrated the ability to provide the information as requested in the Amendment 80 CP form that has been administered annually since 2008.