Survey of hired captains and crew

_{Interviewer’s Name}: OMB Control No. 0648-0636

_{Date: Expiration Date:}

_{Port Name:}

_{Start Time:}_______________________________________

_{End Time:}

Social Sciences Branch

Northeast Fisheries Science Center

Woods Hole, MA

_{Socio-Economic Survey of Hired Captains and Crew in New England and Mid-Atlantic Commercial Fisheries}

Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 20 minutes per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other suggestions for reducing this burden to Lisa L. Colburn, 28 Tarzwell Dr., Narragansett, RI 02882. Email: lisa.l.colburn@noaa.gov

Notwithstanding any other provisions of the law, no person is required to respond to, nor shall any person be subjected to a penalty for failure to comply with, a collection of information subject to the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act, unless that collection of information displays a currently valid OMB Control Number.

_{In this survey,} please tell us about your fishing in the last year.

The information you provide will remain private and you will not be identified with your answers.

_{1. What fisheries do you target? Of these, which do you consider your primary fishery in terms of income?}

_{2. What port did you primarily work out of in the last year?}

_{Port State Country_______________}

3. Are any members of your family (for example, parents, children, siblings, uncles/aunts, cousins, in- laws) involved in commercial fishing or other fishing-related activities (for example, book-keeping, provisioning vessels, marketing)?

1. YES

2. NO

_{4. How long have you been involved in commercial fishing? If less than a year, how many months?}

YEARS

MONTHS

_{5. How many generations of your family have fished commercially including yourself?}

Generations

_{6. What was the main port of landing for that vessel in the last year?}

_{Port State Country_______________}

^{Within your primary fishery, consider the vessel you worked on the most in the last year.}

^{Please answer the following questions based on your fishing activities on that primary vessel.}

_{7. How many days (24 hour periods) does a typical trip last before returning to port?}

_Days

_{8. What was the average size of the crew in the last year (including the captain)?}

_______Members

_{9. How many hours per day (24 hour period) did you usually work while on a fishing trip?}

_______Hours

10. Was the vessel you worked on most in the last year owner-operated? (Please circle one response).

1. YES

2. NO

3. DON’T KNOW

^{In the following questions please tell us how revenues and expenses are distributed amongst crew.}

11. For your current vessel, how were you paid?

1. A share system: revenues and expenses were shared between the boat and crew (CONTINUE)

_{2. Other (e.g., per trip, hourly), please specify:________________(SKIP TO Q14)}

_{12. For share systems, what were the typical percentages distributed to the boat (the vessel owner) and crew?}

_{_______% Boat (owner) share}

_{_______% Crew share}

_{_______Don’t Know}

13. For share systems, which trip expenses were usually deducted? (CHECK ALL THAT APPLY)

1. Fuel/Oil

2. Ice

3. Fishing quota or days-at-sea

4. Food

5. General fishing supplies (hooks, bags, totes, gloves, etc.)

6. Bait

7. Other ____________________

^{In the following questions, please tell us about your fishing activities and employment on your primary vessel.}

14. What was your position on the vessel in the last year? (CHECK ALL THAT APPLY).

1. Captain

2. Deck hand

3. Engine mechanic

4. Cook

_{5. Other (please specify):______________}

15. Which of the following was the first crew position you ever had when you began fishing?

1. Captain

2. Deck hand

3. Engine Mechanic

4. Cook

5. Other (please specify): ______________

16. How were you hired for the vessel you currently work on? (CHECK ONE RESPONSE)

1. Word of mouth

2. Referred by a friend

3. Related to owner

4. Related to non-owner crew member (may include hired captain)

5. Previous work with the same vessel

6. Advertisement

_{7. Other}

17. How difficult was it for you to find employment on your vessel? (CHECK ONE RESPONSE)

1. Very easy

2. Easy

3. Neither easy nor difficult

4. Difficult

5. Very difficult

18. As of today, how many years have you worked on your primary vessel?

__________Years

__________Months

_{19. How many different vessel owners did you work for in the last year?}

___________Vessel owners

^{In the following section, we are going to go through a series of scale questions. For example, the first relates to in your primary fishery.}

20. For your primary fishery please indicate the extent to which you think each of the following items is increasing, decreasing or staying the same. (CHECK ONE RESPONSE PER ITEM)

	Significantly decreasing	Decreasing	Not Changing	Increasing	Significantly Increasing
Level of bycatch (catch of non-target species)	1	2	3	4	5	I DON’T KNOW
Level of discards (live or dead catch of target or non-target species that is thrown overboard)	1	2	3	4	5	I DON’T KNOW
Level of highgrading (low value fish thrown overboard in order to keep higher value fish)	1	2	3	4	5	I DON’T KNOW

^{In the following questions, please tell us how you feel about the regulations and management process in your primary fishery.}

21. Please indicate the extent to which you agree or disagree with the following statements regarding the rules and regulations in your primary fishery. (CHECK ONE RESPONSE PER ITEM)

	Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
The rules and regulations change so quickly it is hard to keep up.	1	2	3	4	5
The fines that are associated with breaking the rules and regulations of my primary fishery are fair.	1	2	3	4	5
I feel that the regulations in my primary fishery are too restrictive.	1	2	3	4	5

22. Have you ever participated in any aspect of federal fisheries management (such as attending meetings, writing letters, or serving on a committee)?

1. YES (CONTINUE)

2. NO (SKIP TO Q24)

23. How much do you agree or disagree with the following statements regarding the most recent federal government-led fisheries management process you participated in. (CHECK ONE ITEM PER RESPONSE)

	Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
I had the opportunity to add new information that was relevant to the decision-making process.	1	2	3	4	5
I felt like the opinions of commercial fishermen were not taken seriously.	1	2	3	4	5
I do not trust the managing authorities to make the right decision when it comes to regulating fisheries.	1	2	3	4	5

^{In the following questions, we are interested in commercial fishing as a lifestyle and how satisfied you are.}

24. Please indicate the extent to which you agree or disagree with the following statements about _{fishing as a career. (CHECK ONE ITEM PER RESPONSE)}

	Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
a. Fishing is just a job to me.	1	2	3	4	5
b. Leaving the fishing industry is something that I have considered.	1	2	3	4	5

25. Would you advise a young person to enter fishing?

1. YES

2. NO

_{WHY?___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________}

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

26. Would you still be a commercial fisherman if you had your life to live over?

1. YES

2. NO

_{WHY?___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________}

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

27. How satisfied or dissatisfied are you with the following items relating to the job of fishing? (CHECK ONE ITEM PER RESPONSE)

		Extremely dissatisfied	Somewhat dissatisfied	Neither satisfied or dissatisfied	Somewhat satisfied	Extremely satisfied
a.	Your actual earnings	1	2	3	4	5
b.	The predictability of your earnings	1	2	3	4	5
c.	Job safety (e.g. physical risks to you from working as a fisherman)	1	2	3	4	5
d.	The amount of time spent away from home	1	2	3	4	5
e.	Physical fatigue of the job	1	2	3	4	5
f.	Healthfulness of the job (e.g how your job as a fisherman may impact your physical and mental health)	1	2	3	4	5
g.	Adventure of the job	1	2	3	4	5
h.	Challenge of the job	1	2	3	4	5
i.	Opportunity to be your own boss	1	2	3	4	5

_{28. In general, how satisfied are you with: (CHECK ONE ITEM PER RESPONSE)}

	Extremely dissatisfied	Somewhat dissatisfied	Neither satisfied or dissatisfied	Somewhat satisfied	Extremely satisfied
a. Your life	1	2	3	4	5
b. Your physical health	1	2	3	4	5
c. The overall health of the marine environment	1	2	3	4	5

^{In the following questions, please tell us about any health insurance you may have.}

29. Did you have health insurance in the last year?

1. YES (CONTINUE)

2. NO (SKIP TO Q31)

30. Where did the insurance come from?

1. From my employer (the vessel owner)

2. From another employer I have

3. Spouse’s/Partner’s place of employment

4. Own Private Insurance

5. Federal or State Insurance Program

6. Other

31. What is your age? ___________

Below, please respond to each question about Hispanic origins, race, and ethnicity. For this survey, Hispanic origins are not races.

32. Are you of Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish origin? “Hispanic or Latino” refers to a person of Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, South or Central American, or other Spanish culture or origin, regardless of race.

1. Yes

2. No

33. Which racial category describes you? (CHECK ALL THAT APPLY)

1.	White
2.	Black or African American
3.	American Indian or Alaska Native
4.	Asian
5.	Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
6.	Some other race (please specify): __________________

In the following questions, we are interested in gathering demographic and economic data about crew.

_{34. What is the primary language you speak at home?}

35. Where were you born?

1. _{U.S.: State _______________}

2. _{Outside U.S.: Country _______________}

36. About how many miles do you travel from where you live to where your primary vessel docked for the past year? (Please circle only one response).

__________Miles

37. What is your marital status?

1. Married

2. Widowed

3. Divorced

4. Separated

5. Never Married

6. Living with an unmarried partner

_{38. How many people lived in your primary household in the last year?}

Adults and children under 18

_{39. Which category best describes the highest level of education that you have completed? (Please circle one response).}

1. Did not complete high school; indicate highest grade completed:__________

2. High school diploma/equivalency

3. Associate’s/ two year degree

4. Bachelor’s/ four year degree

_{5. Graduate degree}

_{40. What percentage does fishing contribute to your annual household income?}

_____% (If 100% SKIP to Q42)

_{41. If you have other sources of household income besides fishing, please list the top three most important sources of income other than fishing for your household.}

	Source
Most important
2nd most important
3rd most important

_{42. What was your annual fishing income in the last year?}

1. Less than $10,000

2. $10,000 - $19,999

3. $20,000 - $29,999

4. $30,000 - $39,999

5. $40,000 - $49,999

6. $50,000 - $59,999

7. $60,000 - $69,999

8. $70,000 - $79,999

9. $80,000 - $89,999

10. $90,000 - $99,999

11. $100,000 - $119,999

12. $120,000 or more

Your contribution to this effort is greatly appreciated. Thank you