Perception of Marine Debris by Users of Commercial Fishi

perception oF Marine Debris by users of commercial fishing gear in

The Core Sound Area, North carolina

Consent to participate in research

This research is part of a larger National Ocean Service-led study on marine debris in coastal North Carolina. Marine debris is garbage, trash and/or lost or discarded fishing gear in the marine environment (ocean; marsh; beach). This survey is about Core Sound, Back Sound, and The Straits ONLY.

Since fishermen are primary users of the Core Sound, Back Sound, and The Straits area, referred to as the Core Sound Area, we are interested in your perceptions of marine debris and its potential impacts (including impacts on fishing). We are also interested in any suggestions that you might have about how to reduce marine debris in these areas. Potential benefits from this survey include a greater understanding of the presence of marine debris in the Core Sound Area, and a collection of proposed suggestions as to how marine debris might be reduced.

This survey is about marine debris, not about fishing practices. The National Ocean Service is a division of NOAA that does not make fisheries regulations and is not involved in fishing-related enforcement.

It should take you less than 25 minutes to complete this survey. The survey is voluntary and anonymous. We are interested in broad social patterns, and do not focus on individual responses. The data collected will not be linked to any personal information, and will be only be presented in aggregated data sets. All surveys will be kept in a secure, protected location by the principal investigator (Shay Viehman), and originals (surveys and project notes) will be destroyed once analysis is complete. This form will be detached from the actual survey. Your name will not be affiliated with the survey.

** This survey is ONLY for people who fish under a commercial fishing license/permit or a recreational commercial gear license (RCGL) issued by the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries in Core and/or Back Sound. If you do not meet this criteria -- please do not continue with the survey**.

Your participation is voluntary, and you may stop participating at any time, for any reason. Please take as long as you want and feel free to skip any question that you do not want to answer.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS STUDY, PLEASE SIGN BELOW AND TURN THE PAGE TO BEGIN YOUR SURVEY.

THANK YOU FOR PARTICIPATING!

INFORMED CONSENT
I have read this form and agree to participate in this study.

__________________________ __________________________
Signature Date

The following scientists are involved in this study:

Shay Viehman (Ecologist, NOAA, National Ocean Service, Beaufort Lab); - contact at 252-728-8744 if you have any questions or to relate a research-related problem.

Ryan Kelty, PhD (Washington College Sociology Dept)

Chris Ellis, PhD at (NOAA Coastal Services Center, Human Dimensions Program)

Zoe Meletis, PhD (University of Northern British Columbia, Dept of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism Management)

Jenny Vander Pluym, NOAA, National Ocean Service, Beaufort Lab

Jennifer Schellinger, Earth Resources Technology

Brett Harrison, Earth Resources Technology

p

Date:

Location:

Interviewer initials:

Survey number:

erception on Marine Debris

by users of commercial fishing gear

in Core Sound, Back Sound, And The Straits

North carolina

REMINDER: This survey is only for people who fish under a commercial fishing license/permit or a recreational commercial gear license issued by the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries, in Core and/or Back Sound or The Straits. If you do not fish under one/both of these licenses, please do not continue with the survey.

Thank you.

FISHING PRACTICES

1. What type(s) of license(s) or permit(s) do you hold from the NC Division of Marine Fisheries that you primarily use in the Core Sound Area (Core Sound, Back Sound or The Straits)?

Standard Commercial Fishing License (SCFL)	
Retired Standard Commercial Fishing License (RSCFL)	
Recreational Commercial Gear License	
Shellfish endorsement	
Lease: shellfish aquaculture	
Lease: pound net fishing	
Other	

2. Approximately how many fishing days per year are associated with each type of fishing you do and how many people (besides you) fish on your boat under each type in the Core Sound Area (Core Sound, Back Sound, The Straits)?

	Days	# of people	Comments
Gill Net
Pots/Traps
Crab
Eel
Fish
Shrimp
Pound Net
Seine
Shellfish
Clam Aquaculture
Clam Dredging
Clam Raking
Shrimp Trawl
Channel net
Hook & Line
Other gear type (specify)

3. How many years have you been a commercial fisherman in the Core Sound Area (Core Sound, Back Sound, The Straits) of North Carolina? ______ years

Incidence of Marine Debris and Derelict Fishing Gear

Marine debris is any trash, garbage, or other item (e.g. fishing gear) disposed of or abandoned (intentionally or unintentionally) in the marine environment (ocean, sound, marsh, beach). Fishing gear can become a type of marine debris if it is lost or discarded (such as ghost gear); we refer to this as derelict fishing gear in this survey.

In this survey, marine debris (Section 1) is treated separately from derelict fishing gear (Section 2). When answering about marine debris, do not include answers about derelict fishing gear.

REMINDER: all the questions in this survey are only about Core Sound, Back Sound, and The Straits, referred to as the Core Sound Area (not other geographic areas).

Section 1: Marine Debris

4. What, if any, types of marine debris (not including derelict fishing gear) do you see in the Core Sound Area?

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

5. What type(s) of marine debris have you caught or had entangled in your gear when fishing in the Core Sound Area during the past year? (check one per row)

Type of marine debris	Frequency						What type(s) of gear were you using at the time?
	Never	Rarely	Occasionally	Often	Very often	Unsure
Plastics (ex. sheeting, cups, plastic pieces)
Glass (ex. bottles, fiberglass boat parts)
Wood (ex. boards, pilings, boat parts)
Rubber (ex. tires, balloons, gloves)
Foam (ex. styrofoam, cups, boat cushions, pieces)
Metal (ex. cans, boat or car parts)
Fabric (ex. pieces of awning, cushion covers)
Paper products (ex. bait box, cups)
Other (specify)
Other (specify)

6. How often you have encountered or observed marine debris in the following locations in the Core Sound Area in the past year. (check one per row)

Location	Frequency
	Never	Rarely	Occasionally	Often	Very often	Don’t Know
On water surface
Underwater
In marshes
In beaches
Other (specify)
Other (specify)

7. In your opinion, how much do these factors contribute to marine debris in the Core Sound Area?

(check one per row)

Factors	Frequency
	Never	Rarely	Occasionally	Often	Very often	Don’t know
Natural Factors (ex. wind, currents, storms)
Recreational users (incl. boating, hunters)
Commercial transportation (ex. ferries, cruise ships)
Other industries (ex. construction; manufacturing)
Commercial fishing (ex. small and large scale boats and fish houses)
Other (specify)
Other (specify)

Section 2: Derelict Fishing Gear

8. What types of derelict fishing gear have you seen in the Core Sound Area?

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

9. What types of derelict fishing gear have you caught in your gear when fishing in the Core Sound Area during the past year? (check one per row)

Type of derelict fishing gear	Frequency						What type(s) of gear were you using at the time?
	Never	Rarely	Occasionally	Often	Very often	Don’t know
Floats and ropes
Pound nets and stakes
Crab pot gear
Gill nets
Aquaculture nets
Clam Harvest gear (e.g. nets, dredges, rakes)
Seines
Channel nets
Trawl or dredge gear
Hook & Line (monofilament, lures)
Other (specify)
Other (specify)

10. How often you have encountered or observed derelict fishing gear in the following locations in the Core Sound Area in the past year? (check one per row)

Location	Frequency
	Never	Rarely	Occasionally	Often	Very often	Don’t Know
On water surface
Underwater
In marshes
In beaches
Other (specify)
Other (specify)

11. In your opinion, what are the major contributors to derelict fishing gear in the Core Sound Area?

(You may check more than one box per row)

Types of Derelict Fishing Gear	Potential contributors to derelict fishing gear
	Natural Factors (wind, currents, storms)	Financial Reasons (reduction of gear due to fuel costs, abandonment)	Intentional Gear Damage (competitive line cutting, vandalism)	Unintentional Gear Damage (wildlife, boaters)	Other (specify)
Floats and ropes
Pound nets and stakes
Crab pot gear
Gill nets
Aquaculture nets
Clam Harvest gear (e.g. nets, dredges, rakes)
Seines
Channel nets
Trawl or dredge gear
Hook & Line (monofilament, lures)
Other (specify)
Other (specify)

POTENTIAL IMPACTS OF MARINE DEBRIS AND DERELICT FISHING GEAR

In this section, we are interested in your perception of the potential impacts caused by 1) marine debris and 2) derelict fishing gear on your fishing practices and the environment.

Section 1: Marine Debris

12. Does marine debris impact your fishing practices? (circle one) Yes No

If yes, please explain how.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

13. Please rank how, in your opinion, each different type of marine debris (listed on the left) impacts the marine habitat and organisms within it (e.g. water, shore, vegetation, fish, birds, crabs, turtles, other organisms).

(Please check one box per line).

Types of marine debris	Level of Impact
	Very negative impact	Slightly negative impact	No impact	Slightly positive impact	Very positive impact	Don’t know	Please explain your response
Plastics (ex. sheeting, cups, plastic pieces)
Glass (ex. bottles, fiberglass boat parts)
Wood (ex. boards, pilings, boat parts)
Rubber (ex. tires, balloons, gloves)
Foam (ex. styrofoam, cups, boat cushions, pieces)
Metal (ex. cans, boat or car parts)
Fabric (ex. pieces of awning, cushion covers)
Paper products (ex. bait box, cups)
Other (specify)
Other (specify)

14. (deleted)

Section 2: Derelict Fishing Gear

15. Does derelict fishing gear impact your fishing practices? (circle one) Yes No

If yes, please explain how. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

16. Please rank how, in your opinion, each different type of derelict fishing gear (listed on the left) impacts the marine habitat and organisms within it (e.g. water, shore, vegetation, fish, birds, crabs, turtles, other organisms).

(Please check one box per line).

Types of Derelict Fishing Gear	Level of Impact						Please explain your response
	Very negative impact	Slightly negative impact	No impact	Slightly positive impact	Very positive impact	Unsure
Floats and ropes
Pound nets and stakes
Crab pot gear
Gill nets
Aquaculture nets
Clam Harvest gear (e.g. nets, dredges, rakes)
Seines
Channel nets
Trawl or dredge gear
Hook & Line (monofilament, lures)
Other (specify)
Other (specify)

17. (deleted)

18. Please write the type(s) of marine debris and/or the type(s) of derelict fishing gear, if any, that you feel have the greatest impact on:

your fishing practices ___________________________________________________________________________

underwater (plants, fish, bottom)___________________________________________________________________

the shore (shoreline, plants, animals)________________________________________________________________

human health __________________________________________________________________________________

19. In your opinion, how are each of the following issues affecting the Core Sound Area environment?

(Please check one box per line):

Type of environmental issue	Type of effect on the Core Sound Area environment						Comments
	Very negative	Somewhat negative	Neutral	Somewhat positive	Very positive	Don’t know
Coastal Development
Marine Debris
Derelict Fishing Gear
Water Quality
Other (specify)
Other (specify)

DISPOSAL OF MARINE DEBRIS AND DERELICT FISHING GEAR

This section is about potential suggestions for reducing marine debris and derelict fishing gear in the Core Sound Area (Core Sound, Back Sound, and The Straits).

20. Over the course of your fishing career, what changes, if any, have you noticed in the amount of marine debris and derelict fishing gear present in the Core Sound Area? (Please check one box per line)

	Much Less	Somewhat Less	No Change	Somewhat More	Much More	Don’t know
Marine Debris
Derelict Fishing Gear

20a. What specifically do you feel has caused these changes and why?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

21. What do fishermen in the Core Sound Area typically do with marine debris and derelict fishing gear that they encounter?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

22. What goes into a fisherman’s decision about whether or not to remove derelict fishing gear?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

23. Do you have any suggestions for reducing marine debris in the Core Sound Area? If so, please share some of them in the space provided below.

24. Do you have any suggestions for reducing derelict fishing gear in the Core Sound Area? If so, please share some of them in the space provided below.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

DEMOGRAPHIC VARIABLES:

Collecting demographic information (age, income, etc.) allows us to better describe our sample. This information is confidential and anonymous; it will only be used for research purposes and will not be associated with your name.

What proportion of your household income in 2008 came from fishing? (Please check one box)

0%-24% 25%-49% 50%-74% 75%-100%

What is your age range?

10-20

20-30

30-40

40-50

50-60

60-70

70-80

80 +

Gender: Male/Female

Education level (please check the box beside the HIGHEST level completed)

 some high school

 completed high school

 some trade school

 completed trade school

 some college

 completed college

 some graduate school

 completed graduate school

This is the end of our survey questions

Thank you very much for participating!

Please turn to the following 2 pages for optional additional information

CAN YOU SUGGEST OTHER PARTICIPANTS?

Finding participants for this research might not always be an easy task due to people’s busy schedules and the mobile nature of fishing…

If you can think of anyone who might be interested in participating, we would appreciate your help. Please write names and numbers in the spaces provided below.

All survey information and participant referrals will remain protected and will only be used to ask your contacts if they would like to participate in this voluntary study. Contact information will be stored in a secure location and will not be linked in any way to survey results.

Name (optional) ______________________________________________

phone number, email, or other contact info ________________________

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Name (optional) ______________________________________________

phone number, email, or other contact info ________________________

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Name (optional) ______________________________________________

phone number, email, or other contact info ________________________

____________________________________________________________

Name (optional) ______________________________________________

phone number, email, or other contact info ________________________

____________________________________________________________

Name (optional) ______________________________________________

phone number, email, or other contact info ________________________

____________________________________________________________

DATA RETURN

If you are interested in receiving a summary of the results please include your contact information below.

This information will be detached from your survey responses and stored separately in a protected location. Your contact information will not be associated with your responses when we present results.

Please include an email address if you would like to receive the results by email, and a mailing address if you would like a hard copy mailed to you.

Name: _______________________________________

Email: _______________________________________

OR

Mailing Address:

______________________________________________

______________________________________________

______________________________________________

For any further information or questions, please contact:

Shay Viehman

NOAA National Ocean Service

Center for Coastal Fisheries and Habitat Research

101 Pivers Island Road

Beaufort, NC 28516

252-728-8744

THANKS AGAIN!

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Version date: 2/4/2021