Northeast Fishing Vessel Annual Cost Survey

United States Department of Commerce
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
National Marine Fisheries Service
Northeast Region
One Blackburn Drive
Gloucester, MA 01930

February XX, 2009

Dear Fishing Vessel Owner:

Included in your permit renewal package is the Northeast Fishing Vessel Annual Cost Survey
(attached) that the Permit Office is administering in cooperation with the Social Sciences Branch
of the Northeast Fisheries Science Center. I am writing to ask you to participate in this survey
that will provide better information about some of the costs incurred by fishing vessels.
Participation is voluntary; permit renewal is not affected by whether you participate in the
survey.

Cost information is needed by fishery economists at the Northeast Fisheries Science Center to
further understand the factors that influence business decisions made by vessel owners. The data
will also be used to estimate the economic impact of proposed fishing regulations (trip limits,
closed areas, days-at-sea, quotas, etc.) and how these regulations will affect different components
of the industry, different ports, and different groups of fishermen and fishing communities. With
better data about costs, fishery managers will be better able to develop regulations that increase
the net benefits from fishery resources.

To do these analyses, information about annual costs is needed. Annual costs include insurance,
mooring and dockage fees, repairs and maintenance, and other costs that are not directly
determined by the number or duration of trips a vessel makes. The survey is a mechanism for
gathering more accurate information about annual costs. If enough vessel owners participate in
this survey, annual cost questions may be phased out of the observer program (although the
observers will continue to gather trip cost information).

Any data you submit in the survey must and will be kept confidential. In reports, the data from
vessel owners will be combined to give a summary of costs by gear type, vessel size, region, etc.
No individual owner’s data will be published or made available to anyone other than the owner
and analysts specifically authorized to work with the data.

Thank-you in advance to all owners who participate in the survey. Your cooperation will help
fishery economists better evaluate the impacts of proposed regulations and will help fishery
managers to make more informed choices.

For questions about completing the survey, contact Mike Morin in the Permit Office at 978-2819196 or [email protected]. Other Permit Office staff members are also available to assist
you by calling 978-281-9370. For questions about economic data collection programs in the
Northeast, contact Andrew Kitts at the Northeast Fisheries Science Center at 508-495-2231 or
[email protected].

Sincerely,

Patricia A. Kurkul
Regional Administrator

PAPERWORK REDUCTION ACT STATEMENT: The Northeast Fishing Vessel Annual Cost Survey provides economic data for
all federally permitted fisheries in the Northeast region. This information will be used to improve research and management of
these fisheries. Public reporting burden for this information collection, including time for reviewing instructions and collecting
the needed data, is estimated to average 1 hour per response. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other
aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden to: Andrew Kitts, Northeast Fisheries
Science Center, 166 Water Street, Woods Hole, MA 02540; Email: [email protected], Phone: 508-495-2231.
Confidential name and address information may be released via a NOAA Fisheries website for informational purposes. All
other data submitted will be handled as confidential material in accordance with NOAA Administrative Order 216-100,
Protection of Confidential Fishery Statistics. 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

┌

OMB Control No. 0648-0369
Expires: 07/31/2009

┐

Northeast Fishing Vessel Annual Cost Survey
United State Department of Commerce
National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration
National Marine Fisheries Service
Permit Office
55 Great Republic Drive
Gloucester, MA 01930-2276
Tel: (978) 281-9370

Instructions:

Please record the annual costs associated with only the vessel identified below. If you own
more than one vessel, certain costs may need to be divided among vessels (for example, divide office expenses
by the number of vessels owned). Record the combined annual cost for all fisheries you may have participated
in this fiscal year. This survey does not have questions about trip costs such as fuel, ice, bait, and supplies.
This type of information is collected by observers at sea. IMPORTANT: if you do not know the cost of a
particular item (but an expense was incurred), please leave the question blank. If this expense does not apply
to your vessel, please check the “not applicable” box.

Please return completed surveys to the Permit Office
(may be returned with the permit renewal form)
SECTION A - Vessel Information

12345678

Coast Guard Documentation or State Registration Number:

(one survey per vessel)

Fiscal year that corresponds with the annual costs you will provide below (use the most recent year for which
you have complete records). Please provide information for one year only. Format:
(mm/dd/yyyy)
Start date: ‫׀__׀__׀‬

/ ‫ ׀__׀__׀‬/ ‫׀__׀__׀__׀__׀‬

Vessel Ownership Type (check one):
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.

Sole proprietorship
General partnership
Limited partnership
Corporation
Other

End date: ‫׀__׀__׀‬

/ ‫ ׀__׀__׀‬/ ‫׀__׀__׀__׀__׀‬

If you checked “D” (Corporation), please check which
type:
C corporation
S corporation
Limited Liability Corporation

‫׀__׀__׀__׀__׀__׀__׀‬

Please list the number of owners: ‫׀____׀____׀‬
Was the vessel purchased from a previous owner or was it bought new? Previous owner

New

In what calendar year did you acquire the vessel? ‫׀___׀___׀___׀___׀‬
Please estimate the market value of your vessel (including all equipment, fishing gear, permits, and fishing
history).
$ ‫׀____׀____׀‬

└

, ‫ ׀____׀____׀____׀‬,

NMFS Permit Number:

123456

‫׀____׀____׀____׀‬

Hull Number:

12345678

┘

┌

SECTION B Improvements, Quota Transfer/Lease, Repair/Maintenance, Crew Compensation

┐

What improvements (new or replacement gear, equipment, electronics, etc.) were made to the vessel this fiscal
year? Please use the table to list the improvements. Also in this table, please include the cost of buying
PERMANENT quota (surf clam/ocean quahog ITQ shares, for example). If you leased quota or days-at-sea, please
provide those costs in the next question.
Description of improvement or quota transfer

Cost of improvement or quota transfer

‫׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀‬

$ ‫ ׀___׀‬, ‫ ׀___׀___׀___׀‬, ‫׀___׀___׀___׀‬

‫׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀‬

$ ‫ ׀___׀‬, ‫ ׀___׀___׀___׀‬, ‫׀___׀___׀___׀‬

‫׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀‬

$ ‫ ׀___׀‬, ‫ ׀___׀___׀___׀‬, ‫׀___׀___׀___׀‬

‫׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀‬

$ ‫ ׀___׀‬, ‫ ׀___׀___׀___׀‬, ‫׀___׀___׀___׀‬

‫׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀‬

$ ‫ ׀___׀‬, ‫ ׀___׀___׀___׀‬, ‫׀___׀___׀___׀‬

‫׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀‬

$ ‫ ׀___׀‬, ‫ ׀___׀___׀___׀‬, ‫׀___׀___׀___׀‬

What was the cost of LEASING quota or days-at-sea for use this fiscal year (include one-year leasing of surf
clam/ocean quahog ITQ, days-at-sea in the multispecies fishery, or sector quota)?

$ ‫׀___׀___׀___׀‬

,

‫׀___׀___׀___׀‬

not applicable – did not lease quota or days-at-sea this fiscal year

Was the vessel hauled out this fiscal year?

Yes

No

If yes, what was the cost of the haul-out (not including the cost of vessel improvements listed above)?
$ ‫׀___׀___׀___׀‬

,

‫׀___׀___׀___׀‬

not applicable – vessel was not hauled out this fiscal year

What is the typical number of years between haul-outs for this vessel?

‫׀___׀___׀‬

What was the cost of all other repair/maintenance for this fiscal year (not including haul-out and improvement
Costs)? $ ‫׀___׀___׀___׀‬

,

‫׀___׀___׀___׀‬

not applicable – no repair/maintenance costs this fiscal year

Please record the total payments to crew for the fiscal year: $ ‫׀___׀___׀‬

, ‫ ׀___׀___׀___׀‬,

‫׀___׀___׀___׀‬

not applicable - no crew payments this fiscal year

Please record the annual cost of the benefits you provided for your crew (e.g., retirement benefits; your portion
of health, life, or disability insurance premiums):
$ ‫׀___׀___׀___׀‬

└

,

‫׀___׀___׀___׀‬

not applicable – no benefits were provided for the crew this fiscal year

NMFS Permit Number:

123456

Hull Number:

12345678

┘

┌

SECTION C – Fishing Business Related Costs

┐

Please record the total annual cost of these following items:
Mooring/
dockage fee

$ ‫ ׀___׀___׀___׀‬, ‫׀___׀___׀___׀‬
not applicable – no mooring/dockage fees

Use of business
vehicle

$ ‫ ׀___׀___׀___׀‬, ‫׀___׀___׀___׀‬

Vessel insurance

# of months insured: ‫׀___׀___׀‬
not applicable – vessel not insured

Cell phone and
VMS costs

not applicable – no vehicle expense

Business taxes
$ ‫ ׀___׀___׀___׀‬, ‫׀___׀___׀___׀‬

$ ‫ ׀___׀___׀___׀‬, ‫׀___׀___׀___׀‬

not applicable – no travel costs

Professional
fees (settlement
fees, accounting,
legal, etc)

$ ‫ ׀___׀___׀___׀‬, ‫׀___׀___׀___׀‬
not applicable – no cell phone or VMS costs

Business travel
costs (do not
include vehicle
costs)

$ ‫ ׀___׀___׀___׀‬, ‫׀___׀___׀___׀‬

(premium)

not applicable – no business related taxes

$ ‫ ׀___׀___׀___׀‬, ‫׀___׀___׀___׀‬

Catch handling
costs (auction fees,

not applicable – no prof. fees

lumping, grading,
transportation)

(cooperative,
fishing
organization, etc)

$ ‫ ׀___׀___׀___׀‬, ‫׀___׀___׀___׀‬

Non-crew labor
services

Office expenses

$ ‫ ׀___׀___׀___׀‬, ‫׀___׀___׀___׀‬

Association fees

(Night watchman,
etc. Do not include
repair/maint costs)

not applicable – no assoc. fees

Permit and/or
license fees

not applicable – no office expenses

Principal paid
on business
loans

$ ‫ ׀___׀___׀___׀‬, ‫׀___׀___׀___׀‬

$ ‫ ׀___׀___׀___׀‬, ‫׀___׀___׀___׀‬
not applicable – no handling fees

$ ‫ ׀___׀___׀___׀‬, ‫׀___׀___׀___׀‬
not applicable – no service costs

$ ‫ ׀___׀___׀___׀‬, ‫׀___׀___׀___׀‬
not applicable – no perm./lic. fees

Interest paid on
business loans

not applicable – no loans

$ ‫ ׀___׀___׀___׀‬, ‫׀___׀___׀___׀‬
not applicable – no loans

SECTION D Other Annual Costs not Listed in Sections B or C
(please do not record trip costs such as fuel, oil, ice, supplies, etc. - observers collect this information at sea)
Cost
Description of other annual costs

└

$ ‫ ׀___׀___׀___׀‬, ‫׀___׀___׀___׀‬

‫׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀‬

$ ‫ ׀___׀___׀___׀‬, ‫׀___׀___׀___׀‬

‫׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀‬

$ ‫ ׀___׀___׀___׀‬, ‫׀___׀___׀___׀‬

‫׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀‬

$ ‫ ׀___׀___׀___׀‬, ‫׀___׀___׀___׀‬

‫׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀‬

NMFS Permit Number:

123456

Hull Number:

12345678

┘

┌

┐

SECTION E - Typical Lay System
What was your primary fishery (based on revenue) this fiscal year? Please list only one (e.g., groundfish, scallops, etc.)
‫׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀‬
For the primary fishery you listed above, which best describes how the crew (including the captain) is paid:
Clear lay (gross stock is split between boat and crew; then trip expenses are deducted from the crew’s share)
Broken lay (trip expenses are deducted from the gross stock; then split between boat and crew)
Per-trip or hourly wage

Other -- please describe in the comments section below

For clear or broken lay systems, what is the percentage share to the boat and crew? (should add to 100%)
‫׀____׀____׀‬

% Boat (owner) share

‫ ׀____׀____׀‬% Crew share (include hired captain’s share)

For clear or broken lay systems, which trip expenses are normally deducted? (check all that apply)
Fuel

Water

Oil/lubrication

Lost/damaged gear

Fishing quota or days-at-sea

Food

Bait

Unloading fees

Settlement fees

Other: ‫׀__׀__׀__׀__׀__׀__׀__׀__׀‬

Ice

Electronics

Cell phone

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

For the primary fishery you listed above, do you hire a captain?

Owner operated

Hired captain

How many years of experience does the captain have in the primary fishery you listed above? ‫ ׀___׀___׀‬years
What is the size of the crew in the primary fishery you listed above?

‫׀___׀___׀‬

crew members

(include the captain)

Please use this space to provide additional information or comments
‫׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀‬
‫׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀‬
‫׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀‬
‫׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀‬
‫׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀‬
‫׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀‬
‫׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀‬
‫׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀___׀‬

└

NMFS Permit Number:

123456

Hull Number:

12345678

┘