Alaska Charter Boat Sport Fishing Cost and Earnings Survey

SURVEY CORRESPONDENCE
ADVANCE LETTER

,
Dear ,
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is conducting a study to learn more
about saltwater charter businesses like yours. With your help, the information we collect will enable us to
better assess the economic effects of management and regulatory actions (currently in place or potential)
on Alaska charter boat fishing businesses and the communities in which they operate. The Pacific States
Marine Fisheries Commission (PSMFC) is working with us to administer the survey.
Alaska Department of Fish and Game records indicate that you registered a saltwater charter business for
2011. . In the next few days, you will receive a packet in the mail from NOAA and PSMFC containing a
survey booklet and a postage-paid return envelope, as well as instructions for how to complete the survey
on-line if that is preferable.
The survey asks about your involvement in charter fishing, including information about your vessel(s)
and crew, services you offer to clients, and cost and earning information associated with your business.
All information you provide in the survey is considered confidential under section 402(b) of the
Magnuson-Stevens Act (16 U.S.C. 1801, et seq.) and NOAA Administrative Order 216-100. Your
information will not be disclosed publicly and will only be accessible to authorized personnel. Only
aggregated results from the survey will be released publicly.
Your response is voluntary, but important. The information you provide may be used to help shape
decisions about federal government actions on saltwater charter boat fishing in Alaska. However, if too
few responses are obtained, the results of the analysis cannot pass scientific standards, and thus will not
be used to inform decision makers. Therefore, to make sure that the best possible information is obtained
about Alaskan charter businesses, we need to hear from you.
If you have any questions about this study, please call toll free (877) 741-8913 and speak with Geana
Tyler.
Thank you in advance for your help.
Sincerely,

Drs. Dan Lew, Brian Garber-Yonts, and Amber Himes
Project Directors
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

INITIAL LETTER

,
Dear ,
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is conducting a study to learn more
about saltwater charter businesses like yours. With your help, the information we collect will enable us to
better assess the economic effects of management and regulatory actions (currently in place or potential)
on Alaska charter boat fishing businesses and the communities in which they operate. The Pacific States
Marine Fisheries Commission (PSMFC) is working with us to administer the survey, and you have
received this survey packet because Alaska Department of Fish and Game records indicate that you
registered a saltwater charter business for 2011.
The survey asks about your involvement in the charter fishing industry in Alaska. Some of the questions
may require you to consult your records or work with other members of your charter business to answer.
It is important that the information you provide is as complete and accurate as possible.
We have included instructions for accessing a secure online version of the survey, which requires a
unique login ID and password. The online survey is designed to minimize the time required to complete
the survey. We have also included a printed copy of the survey and a postage-paid return envelope. Both
versions of the survey ask identical questions, and we ask that you use whichever version is most
convenient for you.
This survey takes most people about 90 minutes to complete. After you've completed the survey, please
return it to PSMFC in the enclosed self-addressed and postage-paid envelope.
All information you provide in the survey is considered confidential under section 402(b) of the
Magnuson-Stevens Act (16 U.S.C. 1801, et seq.) and NOAA Administrative Order 216-100. Only
aggregated results from the survey will be released publicly. Your personal information will not be
disclosed and will only be accessible to authorized personnel responsible for management and research of
fisheries under the authority of NOAA. All authorized personnel have signed nondisclosure agreements
specifying penalties for unauthorized use and disclosure of confidential fisheries data.
Your response is voluntary, but important. The information you provide may be used to help shape
decisions about federal government actions on charter fishing in Alaska. However, if too few responses
are obtained, the results of the analysis cannot pass scientific standards, and thus will not be used to
inform decision makers. Therefore, to make sure that the best possible information is obtained about
Alaskan charter businesses, we need to hear from you.
Please complete the survey to the best of your ability and return it no later than [DATE]. If you have any
questions about this study or about any of the questions in the survey, please call toll free (877) 741-8913
and speak with Geana Tyler. Thank you in advance for your help.
Sincerely,
Drs. Dan Lew, Brian Garber-Yonts, and Amber Himes
Project Directors
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

POSTCARD FOLLOWUP
Last week a survey was mailed to you seeking information about your business’ involvement in saltwater
charter boat fishing in Alaska.
If you have already completed and returned the paper survey, or completed the online survey, please
accept our sincere thanks. If you have not, we ask that you do so today.
Your response is voluntary, but important. The information you provide may be used to help shape
decisions about federal government actions on saltwater charter boat fishing in Alaska. To make sure that
enough responses are returned for the data to be useful, and the best possible information is obtained
about Alaskan charter businesses, we need to hear from you. Please complete the enclosed survey to the
best of your ability and return it no later than [DATE].
If you need another paper copy of the survey or instructions on accessing the survey online, please
call toll free (877) 741-8913 and speak with Geana Tyler and one will be mailed to you today.
Thank you for your help.
Drs. Dan Lew, Brian Garber-Yonts, and Amber Himes
Project Directors
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

SECOND MAILING

,
Dear ,
A couple weeks ago, a survey was mailed to you seeking information about your business’ involvement
in Alaskan charter fishing.
If you have already completed and returned the paper survey, or completed the online survey, please
accept our sincere thanks. If you have not, we ask that you do so today. We have enclosed another copy
of the survey and instructions on accessing the secure online version of the survey in case you have
misplaced the original mailing package we sent. We understand that you personally might not have all of
the answers to the questions, and we fully expect you to collaborate with as many people as needed within
your business to complete the survey. The key is that the information you provide is as complete and
accurate as possible.
All information you provide in the survey is considered confidential under section 402(b) of the
Magnuson-Stevens Act (16 U.S.C. 1801, et seq.) and NOAA Administrative Order 216-100. Only
aggregated results from the survey will be released publicly. Your personal information will not be
disclosed and will only be accessible to authorized personnel responsible for management and research of
fisheries under the authority of NOAA. All authorized personnel have signed nondisclosure agreements
specifying penalties for unauthorized use and disclosure of confidential fisheries data.
This survey takes most people about 90 minutes to complete. After you've completed the survey, please
return it in the enclosed self-addressed and postage-paid envelope.
Although your participation is voluntary, your response will help us get a better understanding about
charter businesses in Alaska, information that may be used to help shape decisions about federal
government actions on charter fishing in Alaska. To make sure that the best possible information is
obtained about Alaskan charter businesses, we need to hear from you. So please complete the enclosed
survey to the best of your ability and return it to PSMFC no later than [DATE].
If you have any questions about this study or any of the questions in the survey, please call toll free (877)
741-8913 and speak with Geana Tyler. Thank you in advance for your help.
Sincerely,

Drs. Dan Lew, Brian Garber-Yonts, and Amber Himes
Project Directors
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

ONLINE SURVEY INFORMATION
The following are instructions for accessing and using the online Charter Operator Survey, which
provides a safe, quick method for completing the survey. This secure method will allow you to login to
the survey and work at your own pace. At any time, you can save your answers and re-login at a later time
to pick up where you left off.
If you would like to use the online version of the survey, please point your web browser to:
http://www.psmfc.org/am80edr/edr
For ADF&G Saltwater Charter License No: 1111
Your Login ID is: 2011A-1000A
Your password is: 4we7i5b
Please keep your Login ID and password secure. If this information gets misplaced or you are concerned
about unauthorized access, please contact PSMFC and password will be reset.
We have taken several measures to protect the confidentiality of the data you submit through the online
survey. These include:
1. Access to data you enter is password protected, and your user id and password are delivered to you by
certified mail.
2. All logins to the website (successful and unsuccessful) are logged and the log will be monitored for
signs of unauthorized access.
3. The database is password-protected on PSMFC’s secure network.
4. Data traveling between your PC and the PSMFC Web server is encrypted for security using an SSL
certificate from GoDaddy.com, Inc. (http://www.godaddy.com/gdshop/ssl/ssl.asp). The GoDaddy web
site certificate safeguards sensitive data by securing online
If you have any questions about the online version of the EDR or need assistance with any questions on
the EDR, please call toll free (877) 741-8913 and speak with Geana Tyler.