Supporting Statement  – Part B

AQUACULTURE SURVEYS

OMB No. 0535-0150

B.	COLLECTION OF INFORMATION EMPLOYING STATISTICAL METHODS

1.	Describe (including a numerical estimate) the potential respondent universe and any sampling or other respondent selection method to be used.  Data on the number of entities (e.g., establishments, State and local government units, households, or persons) in the universe covered by the collection and in the corresponding sample are to be provided in tabular form for the universe as a whole and for each of the strata in the proposed sample.  Indicate expected response rates for the collection as a whole.  If the collection has been conducted previously, include the actual response rate achieved during the last collection.

Trout and Catfish Growers.  Each State Field Office (FO) maintains a list of all known trout and catfish producers.  An attempt is made to obtain a response from every operation on the list during each survey period.  FOs update the list as they learn of new operations, including those from the Census of Agriculture.  Other list sources are State Fish and Wildlife Departments, Natural Resource Conservation Service, State producer organizations, universities, Departments of Natural Resources, and industry publications.

		Trout Growers.  The Trout Growers survey is conducted each January in 25 States (Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Idaho, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming) to collect previous year trout sales from farmers and distributed fish totals primarily from State and federal hatcheries.  It is mailed to all trout operations.

		Catfish Growers.  A Catfish Growers survey is conducted each January in 9 States (Alabama, Arkansas, California, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, and Texas) to collect inventory, water area, previous year sales, and losses.  It is mailed to all catfish operations.  The three major catfish producing States (Alabama, Arkansas, and Mississippi) also conduct a survey in July of each year to collect mid-year inventory.

Catfish Processors.  The monthly Catfish Processors survey is a complete enumeration of all U.S. catfish processing plants with the capacity to process 2,000 or more pounds live weight in an 8-hour shift.  Data collected includes amount of fish processed, prices paid, inventory, amount of fish sold, and prices received.

Catfish Feed Deliveries.  The monthly Catfish Feed Delivery survey is a complete enumeration of all U.S. Catfish Feed Mill plants.  Data collected includes feed deliveries to Catfish producers of fingerling and food size fish.

Annual Aquaculture Survey – Hawaii.  The annual survey is conducted for producers of both fresh water and salt water commodities.  They collect data for aquatic foods (fish, mollusks, crustaceans, etc.) and aquatic ornamental items (aquarium plants, koi, sea horses, algae, etc.).  Data collected includes size category of items sold, quantity of items sold, and total value of sales for each item.

Aquaculture Loss Survey.  This questionnaire was created in anticipation of future needs.  With the recent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, NASS felt it would be a good idea to have a Loss survey in place, in case coastal States need to have a survey conducted to measure the impact of any natural or man-made disasters.  Currently there is no funding for this survey, we are just asking for approval of the questionnaire and methodology, in the event the funding and need should arise. 

        

2.	Describe the procedures for the collection of information including:
	
	•	statistical methodology for stratification and sample selection,
	•	estimation procedure,
	•	degree of accuracy needed for the purpose described in the justification,
	•	unusual problems requiring specialized sampling procedures

Trout and Catfish Grower Surveys.  All known catfish and trout growers in the surveyed States are mailed a questionnaire for each survey.  Telephone follow-up and some personal interviews are conducted.  FO’s have the option of not mailing questionnaires if a poor mail response is expected or if telephone or personal interview is considered more cost and time efficient.  The estimated average respondent burden for catfish and trout growers is 15 minutes.

Catfish Processors.  The survey of processed, farm-raised catfish is conducted by Headquarters staff.  Each month, questionnaires are sent from and returned to Headquarters, Web-survey responses are collected, and telephone follow-up is made to non-respondents.  The list of mail and e-mail addresses, telephone numbers and contact names is maintained by the Livestock Branch in Headquarters.  The estimated average respondent burden for this survey is 10 minutes, based on previous surveys.

Catfish Feed Deliveries.  The Catfish Feed Delivery survey is conducted by the MS FO.  Questionnaires are faxed and returned to the MS FO monthly with telephone follow-up to non-respondents.  The mail list is maintained by each State Field Office which has a catfish feed mill. The estimated average respondent burden for this survey is 5 minutes.

Annual Aquaculture Survey – Hawaii.  All known commercial producers are mailed a questionnaire, with telephone follow-up, some of the larger or specialty growers will receive a personal interview to collect the data.  The estimated average respondent burden for this survey is 15 minutes. 

Aquaculture Loss Survey.  We are assuming that if this survey needs to be conducted to quantify the amount of loss or damage to the aquaculture industry, that it will be limited to a couple of States or small region of the United States to re-contact. Whatever region is selected to re-contact, we plan to follow the same sampling as the original survey used, which generally involves a complete Census of the targeted area. 

3.	Describe methods to maximize response rates and to deal with issues of non-response.  The accuracy and reliability of information collected must be shown to be adequate for intended uses.  For collections based on sampling a special justification must be provided for any collection that will not yield "reliable" data that can be generalized to the universe studied.

The grower surveys provide the industry adequate lead time to plan marketing strategies and execute plans to develop markets not yet served.  Feedback from Federal and State government officials and growers shows that data collected and published provide information needed to evaluate industry strength and importance.  The processor survey provides an accurate measure of the quantity and price of catfish entering the marketing channel.  The feed delivery survey provides information on catfish feed consumption and enables projections of the amount of catfish available to be sold.  There is a direct relationship between the Catfish Production, Catfish Processing, and Catfish Feed Deliveries reports; discrepancies between the three data series alert NASS Statisticians to potential problems.

Survey data are subject to non-sampling errors such as omissions and mistakes in reporting and in processing the data.  While these errors cannot be measured directly, they are minimized by carefully reviewing all reported data for consistency and reasonableness.  The estimation manual helps in maintaining consistency across surveys and field offices.

4.	Describe any tests of procedures or methods to be undertaken.

There has been no recent questionnaire testing.

5.	Provide the name and telephone number of individuals consulted on statistical aspects of the design and the name of the agency unit, contractor(s), or other person(s) who will actually collect and/or analyze the information for the agency.

Specifications and survey design for the grower, processor, and feed delivery surveys are determined by the Statistical Methods Branch, Statistics Division; Branch Chief is Dave Aune, (202)720-4008.

Sample sizes, list sampling frame control data and item codes are determined by the Sampling Branch, Census and Survey Division; Branch Chief is William Iwig, (202)720-3895.

Data collection is carried out by NASS State Statistical Offices; Deputy Administrator for Field Operations is Marshall Dantzler, (202)720-8220.

The NASS commodity statistician in Headquarters for the grower and processor surveys is Chris Hawthorn, (202)720-0585 in the Poultry and Specialty Commodities Section of the Livestock Branch, Statistics Division.  He is responsible for coordination of sampling, questionnaires, data collection, data processing, the Estimation Manual, and other FO support.  He is also responsible for national summaries, analysis, presentation to the Agricultural Statistics Board for final estimates, and publication.

The State Director of the Mississippi State Field Office is responsible for sampling, data collection, editing data, data processing, preparing estimates, writing instructions (data collection and estimation manuals), and preparing the final draft of the Catfish Feed Deliveries report for Agricultural Statistics Board approval and publication.

	August 2010