Red Snapper Participant IFQ Survey

OMB Control No. 0648-xxxx Expires: xx/xx/xxxx

Red Snapper IFQ Participant Survey
Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average one hour per response
including the time for reviewing the instructions, searching the 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 aspects of this burden to Bob Walker, National Marine Fisheries
Service, 75 Virginia Beach Drive, Miami, Florida 33149. Comments on the content of the survey should be
addressed to Dr. Walter Keithly Center Natural Resource Economics & Policy, Department of Agricultural
Economics, 242A Agricultural Administration Building, Louisiana State University Baton Rouge, LA 708035604.
This reporting is required under and is authorized under 50 CFR 622.5(a) (1) (v). Information submitted will
be treated as confidential in accordance with NOAA Administrative Order 216-100. Notwithstanding any
other provision of the law, no person is required to respond to, nor shall any person be subject to a penalty for
failure to comply with, a collection of information subject to the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction
Act, unless that collection displays a currently valid OMB Control Number. The NMFS requires this
information for the 5-year review of the Gulf of Mexico red snapper IFQ Program. These data will be used to
assess the socio-economic performance of the IFQ program.
Participation in this survey is voluntary, and you do not need to answer any questions you do not wish to
answer
Section 1: Background Information
1) You have been identified as being the registered owner of a XXX share of the red snapper IFQ as of December
31, 2010.
What would you estimate the current market value of this share to be?

$__________ market value

2) How many years of commercial fishing experience do you have? ________ years
3) How long have you lived in your community? ________ years
4) What was your relationship to the red snapper fishery prior to the introduction of the red snapper IFQ program?
Class 1 license holder  Class 2 license holder

 Other: ______________

5) Which area of the Gulf has accounted for the largest portion of your red snapper harvest since implementation
of the red snapper IFQ program?
Eastern Gulf
Section 2:

 Northern Gulf  Western Gulf

Attitudes and Perceptions Concerning the Red Snapper IFQ Program

6) Did you support THE INTRODUCTION of the red snapper IFQ program in 2006?
 Yes

 No

 Undecided/Not applicable

7) Do you support the red snapper IFQ program NOW?


Yes

 No

 Undecided

OMB Control No. 0648-xxxx Expires: xx/xx/xxxx

8) Overall, how satisfied are you with the red snapper IFQ program?
highly
satisfied


satisfied

neutral

dissatisfied

highly
dissatisfied

no
opinion











What do you consider to be the most positive impacts of the red snapper IFQ program on your fishing
operations when you compare it to the pre-IFQ fishery?
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

What do you consider to be the most negative impacts of the red snapper IFQ program on your fishing operations
compared to the pre-IFQ fishery?
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

9) For each potential IFQ outcome below, please indicate your opinion by checking the appropriate box:
Strongly
Agree

Agree

Neutral

Disagree

Strongly
Disagree

No
Opinion

Improved my financial condition













Reduced derby fishing













Resulted in better on-the-water handling of
harvested product













Increased red snapper prices













Reduced the variability in red snapper
prices













Increased my ability to target the size
desired in market













Reduced operating expenses for harvesting
red snapper













Reduced the amount of capital used in the
fishery (i.e., vessels and gear)













Reduced the loss of gear













Decreased crowding on fishing grounds













The red snapper IFQ program:

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OMB Control No. 0648-xxxx Expires: xx/xx/xxxx

Increased the discarding of legal sized red
snapper (13 inches)













Reduced incidental catch of non-targeted
species













Improved safety at sea













Increased consolidation in the fishery













Made it harder for people to enter the
fishery













Made crew members better off compared to
the non-IFQs fishery













Improved compliance with regulations













Section 3: Socioeconomic Assessment of the Red Snapper IFQ program.

10) Have you made any major investments (or disinvestments) in capital (i.e., vessels and harvesting equipment)
since the implementation of the red snapper IFQ program that you would consider to be the result of the
program?
 Yes
 No
If Yes, please specify the following information:

Item:

Post-IFQ
Quantity

Pre-IFQ Quantity

Purchased Price
(investment)

Sales Price
(disinvestment)

Number of Vessel(s)
Engine(s)
Fishing gear
Electronics
Other

If you indicated that you made changes in capital investment, please briefly elaborate as to why you made these
changes:
__________________________________________________________________________________
11) What was the average number of crew members per trip (excluding captain):
Pre-IFQ _______

Post-IFQ _______

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OMB Control No. 0648-xxxx Expires: xx/xx/xxxx

12) Please circle the number on the scale below that best indicates your crew experiences PRE- and POST-IFQ
IMPLEMENTATION. If none apply, check the N/A box.

Ability to Maintain Skilled Crew
Least
Stable

Most
Stable

N/A

Pre-IFQ

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10



Post-IFQ

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10



Ability to Find Skilled Replacement Crew
Hard to
Replace

Easy to
Replace

N/A

Pre-IFQ

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10



Post-IFQ

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10



13) Which of the following best describes how the vessel owner, captain and crew were paid to harvest red snapper
both before and after the implementation of the IFQ program? Please check the box that best applies in each
column and then fill in the information about the distribution of payments for the indicated arrangement.
(NOTE: Completer only the last column if you did not fish for red snapper prior to implementation of the IFQ
program).
Vessel owner, captain and
crew were paid according to a:

Before implementation
of the IFQ program

After implementation
of the IFQ program





N/A



Share of total revenues, less the following trip expenses
(please circle) – fuel, bait, food, vessel repairs, direct
vessel owner payment, other





Share of total revenue, less a charge of IFQ value and
less the following trip expenses (please circle) – fuel,
bait, insurance costs, food, vessel repairs, direct vessel
owner payment, other

N/A



Share of total revenues without any deductions
Share of total revenues, less a charge for IFQ value

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OMB Control No. 0648-xxxx Expires: xx/xx/xxxx

Flat rate per day, trip, or season





Other (please explain)





For the BEFORE implementation payment arrangement checked above, the distribution of payments was
approximately
Vessel Owner _______%

Captain ________%

Crew ________%

For the AFTER implementation payment arrangement checked above, the distribution of payments was
approximately
Vessel Owner _______%

Captain ________%

Crew ________%

14) Please check the boxes that best describe how you were paid for your fished IFQ shares.
Included in the payment you received as captain
Included in payment you received as vessel owner(s)
Paid out of total earnings, before any deductions
Paid out of total earnings , after some deductions
Other ___________________________________
15) Describe the main expenses per trip for a TYPICAL trip in which you harvested red snapper.
2006 Pre-IFQ
Trip length (days)
Total revenues ($/trip)
Red snapper (lbs/trip)
Revenues from red snapper ($/trip)
Other reef fish species (lbs/trip)
Revenues from other reef fish species ((4
($/ i
Other species (lbs/trip)
Revenues from other species ($/trip)
Total operating costs ($/trip)
Fuel expenses ($/trip)
Fuel quantity (gallons/trip)
Bait costs ($/trip)
Provisions ($/trip)

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2010 Post-IFQ

OMB Control No. 0648-xxxx Expires: xx/xx/xxxx

Miscellaneous costs ($/trip)
Crew payment ($/trip)
Number of crew (excluding captain)
IFQ allocation

N/A

16) If you have leased red snapper allocation TO another person(s) or entity during the first four years of the IFQ
program, please indicate your reason(s) for doing so (please check all that apply).
I received a higher return from LEASING all/some of my allocation than from fishing it.
While I may have received a lower return from LEASING all/some of my allocation than I would have
received from fishing it, I LEASED all/some of my allocation as a means of reducing the amount of
financial uncertainty associated with fishing it
Illness, breakdowns, etc prevented me from fishing all/some of my allocation, so instead I LEASED
all/some of my allocation
A relatively small contribution to my operations is from my red snapper allocation and thus the impact
from LEASING all/some of the allocation is minor
The availability and size of my vessel(s) is insufficient to allow for the orderly harvest of all my allocation
(therefore, I LEASED all/some of it).
The availability of captains and/or crew is insufficient to allow for the orderly harvest of all my allocation
(therefore, I LEASED all/some of it).
Other (please elaborate) __________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Not applicable since I have not leased TO another person or entity since the implementation of the program
Please indicate the LEASING arrangement between you and the lessee.
I LEASED all/some of my allocation for an average of $_______ per pound with no other
arrangements/restrictions being placed on the allocation that I leased.
I LEASED all/some of my allocation for an average of $ _______per pound with an arrangement that the
lessee deliver the catch to specified dealer; Please elaborate on the arrangement
_________________.____________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
I LEASED all/some of my allocation for $______ per pound with other arrangements; Please elaborate on
these arrangements ____________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

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OMB Control No. 0648-xxxx Expires: xx/xx/xxxx

17) If you have leased allocation FROM another IFQ shareholder during the first four years of the IFQ program,
please identify the primary reasons for leasing (purchasing) that allocation (check all that apply).
I do not have the financial resources at this time to purchase additional IFQ (permanent) shares
I only need additional allocation for a relatively short period of time (e.g., a single fishing year)
I am of the belief that buying allocation on an annual basis will be less expensive than purchasing an
equivalent amount of additional (permanent) shares
Purchasing annual allocation provides greater flexibility than owning IFQ (permanent) shares
I consider buying additional IFQ (permanent) share as too risky due to any of the following (please circle) –
uncertainty over the future price of red snapper, uncertainty over the poundage of the allocation due to changes
in the stock assessment, uncertainty over future operating costs (e.g., fuel, bait, etc.), other
uncertainty_______________________
I bought allocation to give to other fishermen for their own use
Other______________________________________________________________________
Not applicable since I have not leased FROM a shareholder since the implementation of the program
Please indicate the LEASING arrangement between you and the lessor.
I LEASED all/some of my allocation for an average of $_______ per pound with no other
arrangements/restrictions being placed on the allocation that I leased FROM the lessor;
I LEASED all/some of my allocation for an average of $ _______per pound with an arrangement that I
deliver my catch to specified dealer; Please elaborate on the arrangement:
_________________.____________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
I LEASED all/some of my allocation for $______ per pound with other arrangements; Please elaborate on
these arrangements ____________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

18) If you BOUGHT quota share since the implementation of the IFQ program, how important were the
following reasons for doing so? Please check the appropriate box for each statement.
Very
Important
The asking price for the purchased share was in line
the with expected future financial return anticipated
from fishing the additional share
The asking price for the purchased share was in line
with what I anticipated I
will be able to sell it for in the near future

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Somewhat
Important

Not
Important

OMB Control No. 0648-xxxx Expires: xx/xx/xxxx

The asking price for the purchased share was in line
with the return I anticipated from selling them as an
annual allocation
I believed that the additional share would allow me to
fish at a more efficiently
I needed additional share because I wanted to retain the
red snapper I land as by-catch
I anticipated that Total Allowable Catch (TAC) will
increase after the next stock assessment

Other _________________________________

19) If you SOLD quota share since the implementation of the IFQ program, what were your reasons for doing
so?
Very
Important
The current selling price for the share I sold was high
relative to future financial returns I anticipated from
fishing it
The current selling price was higher than what I
anticipated receiving for selling the share sometime in the
future
The current selling price for the share was in line with the
return I anticipated from selling it as annual allocation
I had more quota then was necessary for harvesting
efficiently
I anticipated that quota would decrease after the next
stock assessment and that the share I sold might become
less valuable
I felt uncertain about the duration of the IFQ program so
I sold my share
Other ____________________________________

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Somewhat
Important

Not
Important

OMB Control No. 0648-xxxx Expires: xx/xx/xxxx

20) Have you experienced any changes with dealers since the implementation of the red snapper IFQ program?
Please check all that apply.
I have experienced no significant changes in my relationship with dealers.
I am no longer as loyal to a single dealer but instead sell to more dealers than before
the implementation of the IFQ program.
I am more loyal to a smaller number of dealers than before implementation of the IFQ
program.
I am more loyal to a smaller number of dealers because they provide me with allocation
in return to me selling my catch to him.
I am more loyal to a smaller number of dealers for other reasons: please explain.
________________________________________________________________________________.
21) What would you estimate to be the current market value of your vessels, gear, and equipment (excluding quota
shares) used to harvest red snapper $ _____________. In your opinion, has the IFQ program resulted in a
change in the current market value? ( Yes
No). If you answered yes, what would you estimate to be
the change in the current market value that resulted from the IFQ program? $__________________ . Is this
change an increase or a decrease? (
Increase
Decrease)

Section 4: Other Issues

22) What are your plans with respect to your activities in the red snapper fishery over the next five years? Please
check only one.
I plan to leave the fishery by selling (or giving away) my IFQ share.
I plan to reduce my activities in the fishery by keeping my share but leasing annual allocation.
I plan to keep my activities at approximately the same level.
I plan to increase my financial investments in the fishery by leasing annual allocation but not additional
share.
I plan to increase my financial investments in the fishery by buying more IFQ share.
Other; explain___________________________________________________
With respect to activity that you checked above, would you please elaborate as to why you selected that item:
_________________________________________________________________________________

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OMB Control No. 0648-xxxx Expires: xx/xx/xxxx

23) Please circle the number on the scale below that best indicates your level of satisfaction with the associated
question. If the question does not apply, please check the N/A box.
How satisfied are you with the IFQ online system for managing shares and allocation and completing landing
transactions?
Highly
Unsatisfied
1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

Highly
Satisfied

N/A

10



What improvements would you suggest to the IFQ online system?

How satisfied are you with the customer service you receive when contacting NOAA Fisheries Service
regarding questions about the IFQ program?
Highly
Unsatisfied
1

Highly
Satisfied
2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

N/A

10

What improvements would you suggest to the IFQ customer service?

How satisfied are you with the customer service you receive when making a landing notification via phone?
Highly
Highly
Unsatisfied
Satisfied
N/A
1

2

3

4

5

6

7

10

8

9

10

OMB Control No. 0648-xxxx Expires: xx/xx/xxxx

Recognizing that the five-year review of the red snapper IFQ program could result in changes to the
program, please use the spaces below to recommend how you would enhance each aspect of the program. A
summary of the responses will be given to the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council and to the
National Marine Fisheries Service.
Regulations:

Monitoring and enforcement:

Other

What improvements would you suggest to the phone-based landing notification system?

Would you be willing to be contacted by phone if we have any additional questions concerning the IFQ program and
your responses to this questionnaire? If yes, please list a phone number that we can use and a convenient times/days
during the week that we can call.

Phone number:
Convenient time/day:

THANK YOU FOR THE TIME YOU TOOK TO COMPLETE THIS QUESTIONNAIRE.

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