HMS Characterization Survey

HMS Characterization Survey Questionnaire.
Hello, I’m calling for a survey being conducted for NOAA Fisheries as part of the Marine Recreational Information
Program or MRIP. Can I please speak to name of contact? If person sought is not available, ask if they will be
available anytime this week. If yes, schedule convenient time to call back to talk to that person, thank
respondent, and terminate interview. If no, thank respondent and terminate interview.
Are you still the captain, owner or designated representative of the vessel name(s)?
(Note: CATI should allow for more than one vessel per captain/owner. Try to obtain information for each vessel
from permit holder during the same call. Loop through all questions for as many vessels as the captain can provide
fishing information on. Permit holders with multiple vessels should be given the option to reschedule since the
interviewer may get very long.)
If “yes”, ask:

Can you provide information on the activity of the vessel name (or vessels) during the past 12
months?
If “yes”, continue to survey description.

If “no”, ask:

Is someone else currently operating the name of the vessel (s)?
If “yes”, then ask: Do you know the name and telephone number of new contact?
If “yes”, take name and telephone number, thank respondent and terminate
interview.
If “no”, denote whatever information is given and terminate interview.

Your name and phone number were obtained from a list of Highly Migratory Species (HMS)
Angling/General/Charterheadboat category permit holders. The purpose of this study is to gather information about
recreational fishing activities targeting highly migratory species such as tunas, sharks, billfish, and swordfish. This
survey is being conducted in accordance with the Privacy Act of 1974. Any information you provide will remain
confidential. The survey should only take about ?? minutes of your time. (Continue with interview.)
Q1. How many years total have you been saltwater fishing for tunas, sharks, billfish or swordfish?
Q2. How many years have you gotten the HMS Angling/General/charterheadboat category fishing permit for any
vessel?
Q3. Thinking about the past 12 months, about how many recreational saltwater fishing trips targeting tunas,
sharks, billfish or swordfish did the name of vessel make in North Carolina through Texas?
(Note: trips targeting bonnethead or Atlantic sharpnose should not be included; clarify this if respondent
asks about these species)
If none skip to Q15
Else go to Q4
Q4. All of the remaining questions have to do with those response to Q3 trips taken on the vessel name in the past
12 months for tunas, sharks, billfish or swordfish in NC-TX? What state did you leave from on the majority of those
trips (from Q3)?

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OMB Control No.: 0648-0380
Experiation Date: 06/30/2009

Q4b.

How many of the trips targeting tunas, sharks, billfish or swordfish in the past 12 months were with paying
passengers? (charter questionnaire only)

Q5.

Do you ever sell any of the tunas, sharks, billfish or swordfish you catch?

Q6.

How many of those trips consisted of more than one day of fishing?

Q7.

What type of access site did you primarily use for the vessel name?
____Marina
____Public boat ramp/launch
____Personal residence or dock
____Other

Go to Q7a
Record MRFSS 4-digit site code or new site name/location. Go to Q.8
Go to Q.7b
Specify other and record. Go to Q.8

Q7a.

What type of marina did you primarily use?
____public
Record MRFSS 4-digit site code or new site name/location. Go to
Q.8
____private property unlocked marina
Record MRFSS 4-digit site code or new site name/location. Go to
Q.8
____private locked-gate marina
Record MRFSS 4-digit site code or new site name/location. Go to
Q.7b

Q7b.

Does the vessel name stop at a marina or fuel dock when returning from fishing trips for tunas, sharks, billfish or
swordfish?
Always - Go to Q7c
Often - Go to Q7c
Sometimes - Go to Q7c
Never - Go to Q8

Q7c.

What is/are the name(s) of the marinas/fuel docks that the vessel name stops at when returning from fishing?
Record MRFSS 4-digit site code or new site name/location for all sites used.

Q8.

Was the response to Q7 (or Q7a if Q7=marina) the only access site used for the vessel name when fishing for tunas,
sharks, billfish or swordfish?
Yes – Go to Q9
No – Go to Q8a

Q8a.
Q8b.

What other access sites were used? (record all MRFSS 4-digit site codes and/or names of new sites)
Of the response to Q3 HMS trips taken on the vessel name in the past 12 months can you tell me the number or
proportion taken to each of the access sites you named?
Access site #1 Record number of total trips or proportion (need number category and percent category for cati
input)
Access site #2 Record number of total trips or proportion
Access site #3 Record number of trips or proportion
Etc……
Next, we’d like some information regarding the time of day the vessel name leaves and returns to the dock when
fishing for tunas, sharks, billfish or swordfish.

A.2
OMB Control No.: 0648-0380
Experiation Date: 06/30/2009

Q9a.

Thinking about the response to Q3. HMS trips taken in the past 12 months, can you tell me about how many or what
proportion left the dock between:
3:00 AM and 9:00 AM
record number or percent
9:00 AM and 3:00 PM
record number or percent
3:00 PM and 9:00 PM
record number or percent
9:00 PM and 3:00 AM
record number or percent

Q9b.

Thinking about the response to Q3. HMS trips taken in the past 12 months, can you tell me about how many or what
proportion returned to the dock between:
3:00 AM and 9:00 AM
record number or percent
9:00 AM and 3:00 PM
record number or percent
3:00 PM and 9:00 PM
record number or percent
9:00 PM and 3:00 AM
record number or percent

Q9c.

To the nearest hour can you tell me the most common time the vessel vessel name returns to the dock from a
fishing trip for tunas, sharks, billfish or swordfish.

Q10.

Thinking about the response to Q3. trips taken in the past 12 months for tunas, sharks, billfish or swordfish, can you
tell me about how many or what proportion were taken during:
(assuming survey is conducted in early September 2008)
September and October 2007
November and December 2007
January and February 2008
March and April 2008
May and June 2008
July and August 2008

Q11.

record number or percent
record number or percent
record number or percent
record number or percent
record number or percent
record number or percent

Thinking about the response to Q3. trips taken for tunas, sharks, billfish or swordfish on the vessel name, can you
tell me about how many or what proportion were targeting
Q11a. Tunas
Q11b. Sharks
Q11c. Billfish (marlins, sailfish, spearfish)
Q11d. Swordfish

Record number or percent.
Record number or percent.
Record number or percent
Record number or percent

If Q11a greater than zero go to Q12a.
If Q11a zero and Q11b greater than zero go to Q12b
If Q11a zero and Q11b zero and Q11c greater than zero go to Q12c
If Q11a zero and Q11b zero and Q11c zero than go to Q13
Q12a. When targeting tuna aboard the vessel name which of the following species do you fish for:
Yellowfin tuna
Bluefin tuna
Bigeye tuna

___always ___often ___sometimes ___ never
___always ___often ___sometimes ___ never
___always ___often ___sometimes ___ never

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OMB Control No.: 0648-0380
Experiation Date: 06/30/2009

Albacore tuna
Skipjack tuna
Blackfin tuna
Other (specify)
Other (specify)

___always ___often ___sometimes ___ never
___always ___often ___sometimes ___ never
___always ___often ___sometimes ___ never
___always ___often ___sometimes ___ never

If Q11b greater than zero go to Q12b.
If Q11b zero and Q11c greater than zero go to Q12c
If Q11b zero and Q11c zero than go to Q13
Q12b. When targeting sharks aboard the vessel name which of the following species do you fish for:
blacktip
bull
sandbar
shortfin mako
Other (specify)
Other (specify)

___always
___always
___always
___always
___always
___always

___often
___often
___often
___often
___often
___often

___sometimes ___ never
___sometimes ___ never
___sometimes ___ never
___sometimes ___ never
___sometimes ___ never
___sometimes ___ never

If Q11c greater than zero go to Q12c.
If Q11c zero go to Q13.
Q12c. When targeting billfish aboard the vessel name which of the following species do you fish for:
White marlin
Blue marlin
Sailfish
Other (specify)

___always
___always
___always
___always

___often
___often
___often
___often

___sometimes ___ never
___sometimes ___ never
___sometimes ___ never
___sometimes ___ never

Q13. Of the ?? trips for HMS in past 12 months how many or what proportion were associated with tournaments ?
zero – Go to Q14
Q.13a What tournament(s) did you fish in? Ask for each tournament: how many trips did you fish with the vessel
name?
Q14. Now I’d like to ask you a few questions about the fish you caught aboard the vessel name in the past 12
months. (Note: adjust species for particular states; include other options)
Q14a. Did you catch any tunas? Yes – Go to Q 14b. No – Go to Q14c
Q14b.

About how many bluefin tuna did you harvest and release alive aboard the vessel name in the past
12 months?
Record _____ harvest
_____ released
About how many bigeye tuna
About how many yellowfin tuna
About how many albacore tuna
About how many skipjack tuna
About how many blackfin tuna

____harvest
____harvest
____harvest
____harvest
____harvest

____ released?
____ released?
____ released?
____ released?
____ released?

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OMB Control No.: 0648-0380
Experiation Date: 06/30/2009

Q14c.

Did you catch any sharks aboard the vessel name in the past 12 months? Yes – Go to Q 14d.
No – Go to Q14e

Q14d.

About how many blacktip sharks did you harvest and release alive aboard the vessel name in the
past 12 months?
Record _____ harvest
_____ released
About how many sandbar sharks
About how many mako sharks
About how many bull sharks
Any other sharks (record species)
Any other sharks (record species)
Any other sharks (record species)

____harvest
____harvest
____harvest
____harvest
____harvest
____harvest

____ released?
____ released?
____ released?
____ released?
____ released?
____ released?

Q14e.

Did you catch any billfish aboard the vessel name in the past 12 months? Yes – Go to Q 14f.
No – Go to Q14g

Q14f.

About how many blue marlin did you harvest and release alive aboard the vessel name in the past
12 months?
Record _____ harvest
_____ released
About how many sailfish ____harvest
____ released?
About how many white marlin ____harvest ____ released?

Q14g.

Did you catch any swordfish aboard the vessel name in the past 12 months? Yes – Go to Q 14h.
No – Go to Q15

Q14h.

About how many swordfish did you harvest and release alive aboard the vessel name in the past
12 months?
Record _____ harvest
_____ released

Q15.

Would you be interested in providing information about your fishing activity through online
internet surveys in the future?

Q16.

Do you have an email address through which we can notify you about future fishing surveys?

END: Those are all of the questions that I have for you, thank you for your time and cooperation. Have a good
day/evening. Goodbye.

A.5
OMB Control No.: 0648-0380
Experiation Date: 06/30/2009