West Coast Commercial Catcher Vessel Cost Earnings Survey

National Marine Fisheries Service

Northwest Fisheries Science Center

2725 Montlake Blvd E.

Seattle, WA 98112

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We would like to invite you to participate in a cost earnings survey of commercial fishing vessel owners being conducted by the National Marine Fisheries Service with assistance from ECS Federal. We are interested in hearing from vessel owners who held a federal West Coast (California, Oregon, and Washington) limited entry groundfish permit with a fixed gear endorsement during 2016 or 2017. This survey updates similar data collected during 2011-2012. Our goal is to support fisheries management decision-making and to generate information that is needed to help meet legal and regulatory requirements.

A copy of the survey questionnaire is enclosed so that you can see in advance the questions we will ask. Starting about one week from the mailing of this letter, we will begin attempting to contact you by telephone to arrange a time for your choice of a telephone interview or an in-person interview to complete this questionnaire. You will be contacted by Yvonne Rosen and are welcome to contact her with questions at 503-245-0975.

Because you and other vessel owners are the only ones that can provide this information, we encourage you to participate in this survey. Your participation is voluntary and you are not required to participate in this survey to maintain your limited entry groundfish permit. However, by collecting information from vessel owners like you, we can better understand average fleet characteristics as well as diversity within the fleet. With this information, fisheries managers will be better able to consider the effect of regulations.

Thank you for your consideration. We look forward to speaking with you.

Sincerely,

Jerry Leonard

National Marine Fisheries Service

jerry.leonard@noaa.gov

(206)-302-1742

Confidentiality

We appreciate the confidential nature of the data being collected by this survey. The NWFSC will maintain the confidentiality of the information consistent with legal authorities available to the NWFSC, including but not limited to the Privacy Act (5 U.S.C. Section 552a) and the Trade Secrets Act (18 U.S.C. Section 1905). In the event that the NWFSC receives a formal request for the information pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) (5 U.S.C. Section 552) the NWFSC will protect confidentiality to the extent possible under Exemption 4 of the FOIA.