Alaska Fish Processor Plant Survey (telephone and site v

Survey Instrument

Alaska Fish Processing Plants Survey
Collecting Information for Processor Profiles
Telephone Script
Note: the script for the in-person survey will be the same as the one given below from the section which begins with
“Good evening” down through the survey instrument.

Hello, my name is [interviewer’s name]. I’m calling from the National Marine Fisheries
Service. May I please speak with the plant manager?
[If plant manager is not available]
Is there a better time that I can call back to reach him or her?
[When plant manager answers the phone]
Good evening (afternoon/morning). My name is [interviewer’s name]. I’m calling from
NOAA’s Alaska Fisheries Science Center, part of the National Marine Fisheries Service. We are
conducting a phone survey to collect social information about shore-based fish processing plants
in Alaska.
All shore-based fish processing plants in the State of Alaska are being contacted to take
part in this voluntary survey.
The information we collect in this survey will be compiled into processor profiles, which
are short narrative descriptions of each shore-based fish processing plant. The profile we draft
for your plant, [PLANT NAME] will be included in the profile for the community of
[COMMUNITY NAME]. These community profiles are important sources of information for
fisheries managers and are designed to provide background information on communities
involved in fishing.
Your participation is voluntary and the description of your plant produced from this
information will be available to you for your review prior to publication. This survey should take
approximately 30 minutes. The OMB control number for this survey is __________ and the
expiration date for OMB approval is __________.
Would you be willing to take part in this survey?
Yes  continue to Q1
No  Is there another person at your facility that might be willing and able to take the survey?
((If not, or if second person takes the call and refuses to participate, “Thank you for your time”.)

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Location of Plant and Reliance on Public Infrastructure
Q1.

First, is your plant located inside or outside the community of [COMMUNITY NAME]?

Inside

Outside
Q1a. What modes of transportation can be used to
reach your processing plant from the community of
[COMMUNITY NAME]? (read the list)
 Public or private ground
transportation, for example, a car
over a road network
 Plane
 Boat
 Other_________________

Q2.
I’m going to read you a list of several types of public infrastructure that your plant may
use. Please indicate which of them your plant relies on for its operations. (read the list and check
all that apply)
 Public docks
 Water services
 Power/Electricity
 Gas
 Waste management
 None of the above
Q2a. Are there types of public infrastructure that I did not mention that your plant uses
for its general operations?
 No
 Yes. What are they? (list):_______________________

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Plant Supplied Services and Facilities for Fishing Vessels
Q3.
I am going to read a list of services and facilities that some plants may offer for fishing
vessels and fishermen that deliver landings to their plants. Which of them are offered to fishing
vessels and fishermen that deliver to your plant? (read the list and check all that apply)
 Dock space
 Ice
 Power/Electricity
 Vessel haul outs
 Storage of gear or vessels
 Repair services
 Onsite store for basic groceries and supplies
 Water
 Fuel

 Laundry facilities
 Showers
 Break room
 Dining hall/galley

(Check here if none of the above are provided by the plant)
 None of these services or facilities are offered
Q3a. Are there types of services and facilities that I did not mention that your plant
offers to fishing vessels and fishermen that deliver to the plant?
 No
 Yes. What are they? (list):_______________________

Plant Supplied Services and Facilities for Processing Plant Employees
Q4.
Now, I am going to list another set of services and facilities that some plants may offer
for their processing plant employees. Which of them, if any, do you offer your plant employees?
(read the list and check all that apply)
 Laundry
 Showers
 Dining hall/galley
 Gym
 Movies/TV
 Onsite lodging, for example, dormitories or apartments
 Transportation to the plant at the beginning and ending
of the contract, for example, airfare or boat ride to
facility
(Check here if none of the above are provided by the plant)
 None of these services or facilities are offered
Q4a. Are there types of services and facilities that I did not mention that your plant
offers to your plant employees?
 No
 Yes. What are they? (list):_______________________
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History of Fish Processing
Q5.

To the best of your knowledge, in what year did your plant first begin operations?
Year: __________

Q6.
Has the plant operated continuously since that date or were there years in which it was
closed down for the entire season?
 The plant has operated continuously since beginning operations.
 There were years the plant was closed for the entire season.

Q6a. Which years was the plant closed down for the entire season?
__________________________________
The last set of questions is about your employees. They may require you to look at your monthly
records from January to December of 2010. If you do not have exact numbers, it is fine for you
to provide me with your best educated guess. If you cannot answer these questions now, I’d be
happy to provide them to you and set up another time in the next couple of days to record your
answers or if it is more convenient, you can email your responses to
[email protected].
I would like to know about:
• The range in the number of workers that were employed at your plant each month;
• The range of plant workers that stayed in company-provided living accommodations each
month, for example, in dormitories or on-site apartments, and
• The range of plant workers that receive meals provided from a company galley each
month.

Q7. Would you be able to answer these questions now?
 No: When would be a good time to call back and go through your answers to these
questions?
Time _________
Day _________
I will call back then. Thank you again for your time and help with these questions.
I look forward to talking with you again.
[End call]
 Yes: continue to questions below

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Number of Workers Employed by Plant and Accommodations for Workers
Before we continue, I want to clarify that when I say “workers” in each of these questions, I am
referring to all employees at the plant, including processing line workers, supervisors,
mechanics, quality control, office, and food service. If you do not have exact numbers, it is fine
for you to provide me with your best educated guess. As I said before, I would like you to
provide me with answers for each month from January to December of 2010 for each of these
questions.
Q8. First, what is the range in the number of workers employed at your plant in January?
What about in…?
[Go through each month and record the range of employees in the righthand columns]
Month

Minimum

Maximum

January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December

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Q9. Now let’s look at where employees live. What is the range of plant workers that stay in
company-provided living accommodations, such as dormitories or onsite apartments, in January?
What about in…?
[Go through each month and record the range of employees in the righthand columns]

Month

Minimum

Maximum

January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December

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Q10. Lastly, let’s talk about company-provided meals. What is the range of plant workers that
receive meals provided from a company galley in January?
What about in…?
[Go through each month and record the range of employees in the righthand columns]

Month

Minimum

Maximum

January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December

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Comments
That's all the questions I have for you. Do you have any comments that you feel would assist us
in writing the draft processor profile for your plant?
 No [Go to Conclude]
 Yes [Obtain the comments and go to Conclude]
Comments:

Conclude
Thank you very much for taking part in this survey. Once we have compiled the information and
drafted a processor profile for your plant we would be happy to send the description to you for
your review before it is published in the revised community profiles.
Would you like to review a copy of your plant’s profile when we finish it?
 Yes
Would you prefer to have the description sent to you by email, mail, or fax? What
(email address, address or fax number) should we send it to?
Preferred Address Type:  Email  Mail  Fax
Address:
____________________________________________________________
We should have the draft descriptions completed by __________.
 No
If you have any questions please feel free to call or email the project leader, Christina Package.
Her phone number is 206-526-6683 and her email address is [email protected].
Thank you for your time. We really appreciate your participation.

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QUESTIONS/COMMENTS AND ANSWERS
[If concerned about purpose of the call] This survey is being conducted by the Alaska Fisheries
Science Center to collect social information about shore-based fish processing plants in Alaska.
All shore-based fish processing plants in the State of Alaska are being contacted to take part in
this voluntary survey. The information we collect in this survey will be compiled into processor
profiles, which are short narrative descriptions of each shore-based fish processing plant. The
profile we draft for your plant will be included in the community profile for the community of
[COMMUNITY NAME] which will be available as a public document. These community
profiles are important sources of information for fisheries managers and are designed to provide
background information on communities involved in fishing.

[If asking about the study sponsor] This survey is being conducted by the Alaska Fisheries
Science Center, NOAA Fisheries, also known as the National Marine Fisheries Service, a U.S.
government agency charged with understanding the effects of federal management actions and
policies affecting the nation's saltwater fisheries.
PAPERWORK REDUCTION ACT (PRA) STATEMENT
Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 30 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 Amber Himes-Cornell, NOAA-AFSC, 7600 Sand Point Way NE, Seattle,
WA, 98115, telephone (206) 526-6683 or (206) 526-4221, email:
[email protected].
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.

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