Mail survey of fishing effort (pretest as placeholder)

OMB Control No. 0648-0052 (EXP 4/30/2011)

Fishing Effort Survey
Pretest

The following information will be collected from recreational anglers in a series of pretests to
assess anglers’ ability to understand the questions and answer the questions accurately. Results
of the pretests will be used to design a final mail survey questionnaire that will be administered
to collect information about recreational fishing effort.
Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 4 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 Rob Andrews, NOAA Fisheries Service, (1315 East-West Highway,
Silver Spring, MD 20910).
This is a voluntary survey, and responses are kept confidential as required by section 402(b) of
the Magnuson-Stevens Act and NOAA Administrative Order 216-100, Confidentiality of
Fisheries Statistics, and will not be released for public use except in aggregate statistical form
without identification as to its source. 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.

Angler Screening: Questions identify eligible anglers
Q1

Our records indicate that you were/was licensed to fish in North Carolina during the past
2 months. Is this correct?

Q2

Are any other members of this household licensed to fish in North Carolina?

Q3

How many members of this household, including yourself, were licensed to go saltwater
fishing in North Carolina during the previous 2 months?

Q4

Have we reached you in {restore state of residence}?

Q5

Have we reached you in {restore county of residence} county?

Q6

Is this your permanent residence?

Q7

How many people in total, including yourself, live in your household?

We want to gather information from people who have been recreational saltwater fishing.
Saltwater fishing includes fishing in oceans, sounds, or bays, or in brackish portions of rivers.
This does not include fishing in freshwater, or for shellfish, such as crabbing. Recreational

OMB Control No. 0648-0052 (EXP 4/30/2011)

fishing means the primary purpose of the fishing is for fun or relaxation, as opposed to providing
income from the sale of fish.
Q8

Have you been recreational saltwater fishing in the last 12 months anywhere in the US or
in a US territory?

Q9

Thinking just about the past 2 months, how many people in your household, whether
licensed or not, have been recreational saltwater fishing in the last two months in the U.S.
or a U.S. Territory?

Main Questionnaire: Questions collect information about recent recreational fishing trips.
We’d like to ask you a few questions about your most recent fishing trips.
Q10

On how many days in the past two months, between {restore TODAY-2 Months} and
{restore TODAY-1}, did you go saltwater fishing in {restore state} or in a boat launched
from {restore state}?

Q11

On how many days in the past two months, between {restore TODAY-2 Months} and
{restore TODAY-1}, did you go saltwater fishing in any coastal state or territory of the
US other than {restore state} or from a boat launched from another coastal state or
territory of the US?

Q12

When did you last go saltwater fishing? (A calendar is provided to help identify specific
dates. If the respondent can’t remember specific dates, they are asked if the trip(s)
occurred on a weekend or weekday.)

The following questions (trip profiles) are asked of each trip that was reported above
(Q11).
Q13

On that day, did you fish from a boat?

Q13A {Ask if fished from a boat} Was that from a party or headboat, charter boat, private boat,
rental, or some other type of boat?
Q14

On that day, did you fish from the shore?

Q14A {Ask if fished from shore} Was that from a pier, dock, jetty, bridge, some other type of
man-made structure, or a beach.
Q15

Now we’d like to ask you a series of questions about the {boat/shore} trip you took on
that day.

Q16

Did the boat return to {restore state}?

Q17

To what state did the boat return?

OMB Control No. 0648-0052 (EXP 4/30/2011)

Q18

To what coastal county did your boat return?

Q19

Does the public have access to the place from which the boat left, or is it private access?

Q19A {If public access} Was it a launch ramp, boat slip, dock or mooring, private property
unlocked marina or something else?
Q19B {If private access} Was it from a personal residence or dock, a private locked-gate
marina, a private property unlocked marina, or something else?
Q20

Was most of the boat fishing effort that day in the ocean, sound, river, bay or inlet?

Q21

Was most of the fishing less than or greater than three miles from shore?