Lists of Potential Questions by Type of Survey
Lists of potential questions for each of the following six types of surveys are presented below:
Catcher vessel surveys
Charter vessel surveys
Onshore post-harvesting sector facilities through primary processing if it occurs (i.e., onshore fish processors, dealers, wholesalers, and auctions) surveys
Mothership surveys
Catcher/processor vessel surveys
Demographic data surveys for crew/employees of fishing vessels and post-harvesting sector facilities through primary processing
List of Potential Questions for Catcher Vessels
Date surveyed completed.
Name, title (owner, lessee, captain, etc.) of person(s) completing survey.
Question 1. Vessel Characteristics
What is the vessel's US Coast Guard ID?
What is the vessel's state ID?
What is the vessel's name?
What is the vessel's hull type?
What material is the vessel hull?
What is the vessel's gross tonnage?
What is the vessel's net tonnage?
What is the vessel's length overall?
What is the vessel's registered length?
What is the vessel's beam?
What is the vessel's fuel capacity?
What type of fuel does the vessel use?
What type of propulsion does the vessel use?
For main and auxiliary engines:
What is the make/model?
What is the horsepower?
How old is each engine?
What was the cost of each engine?
What is the remaining expected useful life?
When was the last complete overhaul?
What is the expected replacement cost?
What type(s) of equipment, e.g., electronics, gear-mounted electronics, deck gear, fishing gear (both on land and in the water (soaking) and including bycatch reduction devices), refrigeration, does this vessel have on board? For each item or category,
What was the total or average cost and quantity of equipment purchased this year?
What is the value and quantity of existing equipment (purchased in previous years)?
What is the remaining expected useful life of this equipment?
What is the expected replacement cost of this equipment?
Describe usage (hours used per day, percentage of time used, etc.).
What was the purchase price of this vessel?
In what year was this vessel built?
In what year was this vessel purchased?
What is the remaining expected useful life of this vessel as a fishing vessel?
Is the vessel kept on the water or trailered?
In what city/town is the vessel moored or launched?
What is the homeport for this vessel?
In which port was the majority of vessel maintenance done?
In what year was the last major structural modification made to this vessel?
What was that modification?
Where was this work done?
How often do you pull your vessel out of the water (drydock)?
How many days was the vessel in drydock?
Which of the following storage capabilities does the vessel have and what is its capacity?
Ice
Freezer
Live Fish Hold
Refrigerated Sea Water
Fish Meal
What types of processing equipment are available on board this vessel?
What is the make of each type?
What is the model of each type?
How many is there of each type?
How old is each type?
What is the expected remaining useful life of each type?
Does this vessel use an automatic baiter?
If yes, what is the make?
If yes, what is the model?
If yes, what is the remaining expected useful life of this equipment?
Without major structural modifications:
What type(s) of fishing gear is the vessel readily able to use?
How much of each type of fishing gear can the vessel readily use?
How many berths does this vessel have?
Does this vessel have an open deck or closed deck?
Question 2. Ownership
Type (e.g., Sole Proprietor, Corporation, Subsidiary)
Who is the primary owner of the vessel?
Please provide contact information for this individual and percentage of vessel owned
If there is more than one owner:
How many other owners are there?
Who are the other owners and what percentage does each own?
Who is the primary contact regarding this vessel's operations in the event we need to contact him/her for further information?
Please provide contact information for this individual.
Is this vessel owned or leased by the operator?
If owned, indicate percentage owned.
Does a management company run this vessel?
If yes, please provide contact information for this company.
If yes, is the management company independent of the vessel‑owning company?
Is this vessel owned by a company that owns other vessels?
Identify other vessels owned.
Is this vessel owned by a company that owns processing plants?
How much time does the owner(s) spend fishing commercially or participating in commercial fishing activities?
Does the vessel owner participate in the Capital Construction Fund program using revenues from this vessel?
Does the vessel owner participate in the Fishing Vessel Obligation Guaranty program with this vessel?
Question 3. Capital and Other Asset Costs
The following questions deal with the long-term debt position associated with this vessel in year X:
At the beginning of year X, what was the total debt?
What new debt was incurred during year X?
What was the total amount of principal paid in year X?
What was the total amount of interest paid in year X?
What was the total amount of the original loan?
What is the outstanding balance in year X?
What is the interest rate on the loan?
What was the source of credit (Bank, home equity, other)?
If this vessel is owned, what were the total debt/interest expenses in period x?
If this vessel is leased, what were the total lease payments in period x?
What were the vessel's depreciation costs in period x including all gear and equipment?
What is the book value of the vessel including all gear and equipment?
What is the estimated market value of the vessel including all gear and equipment?
What is the estimated market value of the electronic equipment on this vessel?
What is the estimated market value of the fishing gear for this vessel?
What is the estimated market value of the processing equipment on this vessel?
Does this vessel have any limited access permits or catch share privileges attached to it? Y N
If yes, what is the estimated market value of each type of permit or catch share privilege attached to this vessel?
If you lease limited entry permits or catch share privileges owned by others:
For which particular fisheries are you leasing permits or catch share privileges?
How much was spent to lease permits or catch share privileges?
For how long did you lease the permits or catch share privileges?
When did you lease the permits or catch share privileges (date)?
What is the estimated current market value of each type of lease?
If you own limited access permits or catch share privileges:
When did you receive these permits or catch share privileges and, if they were purchased, what was their purchase price?
What is the estimated current market value of each type of permit or catch share privilege attached to this vessel?
How likely are you to sell your limited access permit or catch share privileges if a buyback program were offered?
Very Likely __ Likely __ Not Likely __ Not at all __ Not sure __
If you were interested in selling your permit or catch share privileges, what would be a fair price for your permit or catch share privileges?
If you were interested in selling your permit or catch share privileges, what is the minimum amount you would accept for your permit or catch share privileges?
What is the maximum percent of your West Coast ex-vessel revenues would you be willing to pay to fund a buyback program?
0% __ 1% __ 2% __ 3% __ 4% __ 5% __
What is the minimum amount you would accept for a 1-year lease of each of type of permit or catch share privilege?
Is there any other capital with a replacement cost greater than $x owned by or associated with this vessel?
If yes, what is it?
If yes, what is the estimated market value of each type of capital?
Question 4. Fixed and Variable Costs
Total (fixed and variable) business expenses reported on tax return for this period.
Does this company use an accounting service?
If yes, please provide the contact information.
Does this company use a bookkeeping service?
If yes, please provide contact information.
In the future, would you be willing to allow your accounting or bookkeeping firms to release cost/earnings data to us as an alternative to completing a survey?
Did the vessel lease licenses, limited entry permits or catch share privileges or buy quota for period X?
If yes, how much was spent to lease them or buy quota (by fishery/gear/period)?
If yes, how much was leased or purchased (by fishery/gear/period)?
How much was spent during the year on each of the following cost categories in year X:
overhead expense: including association dues, professional fees (legal, financial, accounting, etc.), office expenses
permit and license fees
taxes: fishery landing/business taxes; federal, state or local income taxes or income tax rates; property tax; payroll tax
insurance: hull; protection and indemnity (P&I); health or medical; vehicle; other
routine vessel and equipment maintenance (not including fishing gear)
non-routine maintenance (i.e., major overhauls, new engine, refittings)
management salaries or fees
gear loss and maintenance
vessel moorage or storage or gear storage associated with this vessel
catch storage
travel or relocation expenses
safety equipment; EPIRB, survival suits, rafts, fire extinguishers, first aid kits
other shore costs (e.g., vehicle or trailer expense, property leases)
other fixed costs (please give only the total amount for other fixed costs but list below the components of that total)
Did this vessel donate any catch to charitable organizations?
If yes, what was the value of the donations?
Does this vessel have any short term operating or business loans?
If yes what are the terms of these loans (e.g. principal and interest payments, interest rate, original loan amount, outstanding balance, interest rate, source of credit)?
If this vessel has a west coast homeport and was active in Alaska or has an Alaskan homeport and was active on the west coast, what was the cost of transporting the vessel from homeport the fishing grounds?
By fishery/region per period/unit of product and associated with this vessel:
What were the price, quantity, unit size, and/or cost of:
fuel?
lubricants?
bait?
light sticks?
salt?
ice?
water?
What were the costs of
food?
supplies?
handling, including loading and unloading, transportation, grading, packaging?
transshipment?
settlement fees?
waste disposal?
communication (cell, satellite, internet)?
electricity/utilities
onboard processing costs?
If observers were carried on board, what were the observer costs?
In period x, was more than one type of fishing gear used on this vessel?
If yes, how much did each gear change cost?
How was each position paid? (e.g., salaries, hourly, crew share)
If a crew share system was used, please describe it.
What were the payments to a hired skipper?
What were the payments to an owner acting as skipper?
What were the payments to crew (not including skipper)?
What were other payments to labor?
What were the benefit costs to labor?
What were the costs of employee transportation?
What were labor recruitment costs?
• Sources/access to credit, bank, home equity, mortgage company, credit cards, and loans from family?
Question 5. Effort/Gear Descriptors
Please indicate the number of days in year X the vessel spent in each of the following activities:
at sea and active in fishing
at sea in transit
in port for maintenance, set-up or routine layovers
in port laid up due to lack of economically viable fishing opportunities
By fishery/season/zone:
Number of trips, days at sea
what was the pre-season set-up time?
what were the revenues (including post-season settlements)?
For each of the gear/fishery combinations in which this vessel was active:
how many days were spent away from port/at sea in an average period?
how many days were spent fishing in an average period?
how many days were spent searching in an average period?
For a typical species/gear combination trip:
how long is the typical trip in days?
what constitutes a typical crew, by position?
what is the break-even revenue for a trip?
Question 6. Catch/Revenue
Did this vessel participate in any {specify region} commercial fisheries in period x?
If yes, in which fishery(ies)?
If yes, what were the landing amounts by species?
If yes, what time of the year were these landings made?
If yes, what was the catch quality and condition by species?
If yes, what was the quantity discarded?
If yes, what was the weighback?
If yes, what were the revenues received from these landings by species and grade?
Did this vessel receive any post‑season settlements in period x?
If yes, what was the approximate value of the settlement(s) received?
If yes, what was the species and weight of fish associated with each settlement(s)?
If yes, what time of year was the catch was landed?
In addition to what was paid for the fish, were goods or services received for deliveries made by this vessel in period x?
If yes, what type(s) of goods/services were received?
If yes, what was the approximate value of the goods/services received?
Excluding the fishing income related to the {specified region} landings, was there any other fishing related income in period x associated with this vessel?
If yes, from what general area was the fish associated with this revenue caught?
If yes, what was the time of year?
If yes, approximately how much revenue was received from these sources?
If yes, what were the sources of this income?
If yes, what was the catch quality and condition by species?
If yes, what was the quantity discarded?
If yes, what was the weighback?
If you leased limited entry permits or catch share privileges to others:
How much was received from leasing permits or catch share privileges in year X?
For how long did you lease the permits or catch share privileges in year X?
For which particular fisheries are you leasing the permits or catch share privileges?
If you sold limited entry permits or catch share privileges to others:
How much was received from selling permits or catch share privileges in year X?
For which particular fisheries did you sell permits or catch share privileges?
Question 7. Opportunity Cost of Capital
For each fishery and period in which the vessel participated during period x, what would have been the next best possible use of the vessel and how would that have affected profitability?
Question 8. Regional Impact
For each of the following cost categories please specify the vessel's total annual expenditures; the percentage expended locally (in the county of the vessel's homeport); the percentage expended in state but outside the county of the vessel's homeport; the percentage expended in region (e.g., Northeast, Mid-Atlantic Southeast, Gulf, West Coast, Alaska); the percentage expended in other US states; and the percentage expended abroad. For crew members, consider the expenditure to be made in the crewmember's county of residence.
Example for West Coast vessel:
Total expenditures in:
Home Home state
county/port AK WOC Other US non-US
Vessel/Engine Repair/Replacement
Gear Repair/Replacement
Fuel/lubricant
Food and Supplies
Ice and Bait
Crew Share
Fishery Business or Landings Taxes
Dues and Fees
Insurance
Interest Expense
Licenses
Packaging Materials
Transportation
Communication
Moorage
Miscellaneous
Question 9. Labor and Demographics
For each fishery/season provide the positions employed, the average number of workers employed in each position and how that position was paid.
For each skipper this vessel employed in period x, provide the name of the skipper and months s/he was employed.
Contact information for crew/employees.
Crew/Employee demographics (See the separate list of potential demographic questions for all types of fishing vessels and fish handling facilities.)
Question 10. Other
• What year did this vessel start in the commercial fishery?
By fishery:
Over the past x years how have changes in fishing regulations affected utilization rates, product quality, catch per unit effort, percentage of time spent searching, percentage of time laid up, targeting strategies, fixed and variable costs, input configurations, crew compensation and turnover, vessel investments, your catch share?
By fishery/gear/season if the season were extended by x days, would this vessel take part in the extended season?
If yes, in what activities would the vessel have otherwise been engaged if the season were not extended?
If yes, what would the expected gross and net revenues be for this additional period of fishing?
If yes, how would the ex-vessel price paid by processors be affected?
If yes, what would be the maximum number of additional days you would participate in this fishery/season if it were extended?
By fishery/season, how would harvesting the same quantity of fish over a period x days longer than last season affect catch per unit effort, fish quality, and harvesting cost per metric ton of product?
By fishery/season, how has harvesting fish over a period x days longer than another past season affected catch per unit effort, targeting strategies, fish quality, and harvesting cost per metric ton of product?
If the same quantity of fish were landed over a period x days longer than the past season, how would utilization rates, product quality, and harvesting cost per metric ton of product be affected?
Has this vessel participated in any Community Development Quota (CDQ) fisheries?
If yes, was monetary compensation paid to the quota holder?
If yes, were quota holders given non‑monetary compensation or considerations for the use of their quota, and if so in what form?
If yes, what benefits/advantages did the use of a CDQ provide other than additional catch?
If yes, did the vessel receive a higher price for fish caught under the CDQ than for fish caught in an open-access fishery?
If yes, was the vessel obligated to take the entire CDQ contracted for?
If yes, was the CDQ used to locate fish prior to a season opening?
What measures do you use to assess the financial performance of the vessel?
Based on these measures, what has happened to performance over the past x year(s)?
If financial performance has changed, what are the primary reasons?
What changes in financial performance can be attributed to changes in fishing regulations?
What measures of economic performance for the fishery, and fleet as a whole, would be useful in assessing relative performance over time?
What additional data (if any) not asked for in this survey might they require?
Please list the fish buyers and processors for which this vessel fished on market orders in period x.
Describe the types of contractual arrangement by which fish were supplied to each processor.
Please indicate to which of the following this vessel sold its products in period x: independent processors, processors within the same company that owns the vessel, foreign buyers, restaurants, retailers, and consumers.
What were the ex‑vessel prices by species, grade and season?
What were the estimated costs for each day spent fishing by season?
What is the impact on this vessel of changing
Fuel prices?
Stocks of fish, including bait?
Environmental change?
Ocean and ecosystem health?
Fishing regulations including Marine Protected Areas?
Environmental/pollution regulations?
Competition from other vessels?
Competition from foreign ports/fisheries?
Other (please define)?
List of Potential Questions for Charter Vessels
Date surveyed completed.
Name, title (owner, lessee, captain, etc.) of person(s) completing survey.
Question 1. Vessel Characteristics
What is the vessel's US Coast Guard ID?
What is the vessel's state ID?
What is the vessel's name?
What is the vessel's hull type?
What material is the vessel hull?
What is the vessel's gross tonnage?
What is the vessel's net tonnage?
What is the vessel's length overall?
What is the vessel's registered length?
What is the vessel's beam?
What is the vessel's fuel capacity?
What type of fuel does the vessel use?
What type of propulsion does the vessel use?
Outboard
Single (2-stroke/4-stroke)
Twin (2-stroke/4-stroke)
Inboard/Outboard
For main and auxiliary engines:
What is the make/model?
What is the horsepower?
How old is each engine?
What was the cost of each engine?
What is the remaining expected useful life?
When was the last complete overhaul?
What is the expected replacement cost?
What type(s) of equipment, e.g., electronics, deck gear, fishing gear
What was the total or average cost and quantity of equipment purchased this year?
What is the value and quantity of existing equipment (purchased in previous years)?
What is the remaining expected useful life of this equipment?
What is the expected replacement cost of this equipment?
Describe usage (hours used per day, percentage of time used, etc.).
What was the purchase price of this vessel?
In what year was this vessel built?
In what year was this vessel purchased?
What is the remaining expected useful life of this vessel as a fishing vessel?
Is the vessel kept on the water or trailered?
In what city/town is the vessel moored or launched?
What is the homeport for this vessel?
In which port was the majority of vessel maintenance done?
In what year was the last major structural modification made to this vessel?
What was that modification?
Where was this work done?
Which of the following storage capabilities does the vessel have? What is its capacity?
Ice
Live Fish Hold
How many berths does this vessel have?
Does this vessel have an open deck or closed deck?
Question 2. Ownership
Type (e.g., Sole Proprietor, Corporation, Subsidiary)
Who is the primary owner of the vessel?
Please provide contact information for this individual and percentage of vessel owned
If there is more than one owner:
How many other owners are there?
Who are the other owners and what percentage does each own?
Who is the primary contact regarding this vessel's operations in the event we need to contact him/her for further information?
Please provide contact information for this individual.
Is this vessel owned or leased by the operator?
If owned, indicate percentage owned.
Does a management company run this vessel?
If yes, please provide contact information for this company.
If yes, is the management company independent of the vessel‑owning company?
Is this vessel owned by a company that owns other vessels?
Identify other vessels owned and the type of vessel (e.g. Guide boat, 6-pack, Charter, Party/head boat
How much time does the owner(s) spend on the vessel while participating in for-hire fishing activities?
Question 3. Capital and Other Asset Costs
The following questions deal with the long-term debt position associated with this vessel in year X:
At the beginning of year X, what was the total debt?
What new debt was incurred during year X?
What was the total amount of principal paid in year X?
What was the total amount of interest paid in year X?
What was the total amount of the original loan?
What is the outstanding balance in year X?
What is the interest rate on the loan?
What was the source of credit (Bank, home equity, other)?
If this vessel is owned, what were the total debt/interest expenses in period x?
If this vessel is leased, what were the total lease payments in period x?
What were the vessel's depreciation costs in period x including all gear and equipment?
What is the book value of the vessel including all gear and equipment?
What is the estimated market value of the vessel including all gear and equipment?
What is the estimated market value of the electronic equipment on this vessel?
What is the estimated market value of the fishing gear for this vessel?
Does this vessel have any limited access permits or catch share privileges attached to it? Y N
If yes, what is the estimated market value of each type of permit or catch share privilege attached to this vessel?
If you lease limited entry permits or catch share privileges owned by others:
For which particular fisheries are you leasing permits or catch share privileges?
How much was spent to lease permits or catch share privileges?
For how long did you lease the permits or catch share privileges?
When did you lease the permits or catch share privileges (date)?
What is the estimated current market value of each type of lease?
If you own limited access permits or catch share privileges:
When did you receive these permits or catch share privileges and, if they were purchased, what was their purchase price?
What is the estimated current market value of each type of permit or catch share privilege attached to this vessel?
How likely are you to sell your limited access permit or catch share privileges if a buyback program were offered?
Very Likely __ Likely __ Not Likely __ Not at all __ Not sure __
If you were interested in selling your permit or catch share privileges, what would be a fair price for your permit or catch share privileges?
If you were interested in selling your permit or catch share privileges, what is the minimum amount you would accept for your permit or catch share privileges?
What is the maximum percent of your West Coast ex-vessel revenues would you be willing to pay to fund a buyback program?
0% __ 1% __ 2% __ 3% __ 4% __ 5% __
What is the minimum amount you would accept for a 1-year lease of each of type of permit or catch share privilege?
Is there any other capital with a replacement cost greater than $x owned by or associated with this vessel?
If yes, what is it?
If yes, what is the estimated market value of each type of capital?
Question 4. Fixed and Variable Costs
Total (fixed and variable) business expenses reported on tax return for this period.
Does this company use an accounting service?
If yes, please provide the contact information.
Does this company use a bookkeeping service?
If yes, please provide contact information.
In the future, would you be willing to allow your accounting or bookkeeping firms to release cost/earnings data to us as an alternative to completing a survey?
Did the vessel lease licenses, limited entry permits or catch share privileges or buy quota for period X?
If yes, how much was spent to lease them or buy quota (by fishery/gear/period)?
If yes, how much was leased or purchased (by fishery/gear/period)?
How much was spent during the year on each of the following cost categories in year X:
overhead expense: including association dues, professional fees (legal, financial, accounting, etc.), office expenses
permit and license fees
taxes: fishery landing/business taxes; federal, state or local income taxes or income tax rates; property tax; payroll tax
insurance: hull; protection and indemnity (P&I); health or medical; vehicle; other
routine vessel and equipment maintenance (not including fishing gear)
non-routine maintenance (i.e., major overhauls, new engine, refittings)
management salaries or fees
vessel moorage or storage or gear storage associated with this vessel
travel or relocation expenses
safety equipment; EPIRB, survival suits, rafts, fire extinguishers, first aid kits
other shore costs (e.g., vehicle or trailer expense, property leases)
other fixed costs (please give only the total amount for other fixed costs but list below the components of that total)
Did this company donate any passenger services or for-hire trips to charitable organizations?
Does this company have any short term operating or business loans?
If yes what are the terms of these loans (e.g. principal and interest payments, interest rate, original loan amount, outstanding balance, interest rate, source of credit)?
By fishery/region/per period/unit of product and associated with this vessel:
What were the price, quantity, unit size, and/or cost of:
fuel/lubricant?
bait?
ice costs and quantities?
water costs?
artificial lures
replacement fishing rods
replacement reels
What were the costs of
food?
supplies?
waste disposal?
communication (cell, satellite, internet)?
advertising/marketing/promotions?
electric/utilities
How was each position paid? (e.g., salaries, hourly, crew share)
If a crew share system was used, please describe it.
What were the payments to a hired skipper?
What were the payments to an owner acting as skipper?
What were the payments to crew (not including skipper)?
What were other payments to labor?
What were the benefit costs to labor?
What were the costs of employee transportation?
What were labor recruitment costs?
Question 5. Trip Descriptors
Type of trip (target species/season/area)
Number Hours/trip Passengers
½ day
¾ day
Twilight
Night
Overnight
Day and a half
Multiday
Long Distance
Other
Targeted species by trip type
Average hours at sea
Total trips (season/trip type/target species/area)
Operating months (trip type/target species/area)
Average number of crew excluding captain/skipper
Number of full-time crew (not including captain) during (time period)
Number of part-time crew (not including captain) during time period)
Number of trips (trip type) donated to charity
Question 6. Revenue
Revenue from For-Hire Fishing Trips in Period X
Number of trips
Total number of passengers
Passenger fees including equipment rental
Food and beverage sales (not included in fee)
Souvenirs
Fishing cleaning if not paid as tip to crew
Sales from fish caught by passengers
Revenue from Non-Fishing Passenger Trips
Excursions (harbor cruise, wildlife viewing, SCUBA)
Fees or rental for research, construction, other
Does the business receive revenue from commercial fishing with no passengers on-board?
If yes, from what general area was the fish associated with this revenue caught?
If yes, what was the time of year?
If yes, approximately how much revenue was received from these sources?
If yes, what was the quantity discarded?
If yes what was the weight of harvested fish by species?
Does this business have any shore-based revenue related to the for-hire business?
If yes, were there sales of souvenirs and what were total sales?
If yes, were there sales for lodging and what were total sales?
If yes, were there sales for restaurant or food service and what were total sales?
If you leased limited entry permits or catch share privileges to others:
How much was received from leasing permits or catch share privileges in year X?
For how long did you lease the permits or catch share privileges in year X?
For which particular fisheries are you leasing the permits or catch share privileges?
If you sold limited entry permits or catch share privileges to others:
How much was received from selling permits or catch share privileges in year X?
For which particular fisheries did you sell permits or catch share privileges?
Question 7. Opportunity Cost of Capital
For each fishery and period in which the vessel participated during period x, what would have been the next best possible use of the vessel and how would that have affected profitability?
Question 8. Regional Impact
For each of the following cost categories please specify the vessel's total annual expenditures; the percentage expended locally (in the county of the vessel's homeport); the percentage expended in state but outside the county of the vessel's homeport; the percentage expended in region (e.g., Northeast, Mid Atlantic Southeast, Gulf, West Coast, Alaska); the percentage expended in other US states; and the percentage expended abroad. For crew members, consider the expenditure to be made in the crewmember's county of residence.
Example for West Coast vessel:
Total expenditures in:
Home Home state
county/port AK WOC Other US non-US
Vessel/Engine Repair/Replacement
Gear Repair/Replacement
Fuel/lubricant
Food and Supplies
Ice and Bait
Crew Share
Business Taxes
Dues and Fees
Insurance
Interest Expense
Licenses
Transportation
Communication
Moorage
Miscellaneous
Question 9. Labor and Demographics
For each fishery/season provide the positions employed, the average number of workers employed in each position and how that position was paid.
For each skipper this vessel employed in period x, provide the name of the skipper and months s/he was employed.
Contact information for crew/employees.
Crew/Employee demographics (See the separate list of potential demographic questions for all types of fishing vessels and fish handling facilities.)
Question 10. Other
What year did this vessel start in the for-hire fishery?
By fishery:
Over the past x years how have changes in fishing regulations affected the number of passengers taking trips, catch, percentage of time spent searching, percentage of time laid up, targeting strategies, fixed and variable costs, input configurations, crew compensation and turnover, and vessel investments?
What measures do you use to assess the financial performance of the vessel?
Based on these measures, what has happened to performance over the past x year(s)?
If financial performance has changed, what are the primary reasons?
What changes in financial performance can be attributed to changes in fishing regulations?
What measures of economic performance for the fishery, and fleet as a whole, would be useful in assessing relative performance over time?
What additional data (if any) not asked for in this survey might they require?
What were the estimated costs for each day spent fishing by season?
What is the impact on this for-hire business of changing
Fuel prices?
Stocks of bait and other fish?
Environmental change?
Ocean and ecosystem health?
Fishing regulations including Marine Protected Areas?
Environmental/pollution regulations?
Competition from other for-hire companies?
Competition from foreign ports/fisheries?
Other (please define)?
List of Potential Questions for Onshore Fish Processors, Dealers, Wholesalers, and Auctions
The terms ‘facility” and “handle fish” are used as placeholders for the terms that will be used in a survey for a particular type of facility. For example, the surveys for onshore processing plants will use the terms “plant” and “process.” The term “handle fish” refers to the post-harvesting sector activities through primary processing if it occurs. These activities include buying, holding, selling, and/or processing fish.
Date surveyed completed.
Name of person(s) completing survey.
Question 1. Facility Characteristics
Is the facility a processing plant, a buying station, a fish dealer, a fish wholesaler, or a fish auction?
What are the federal and state ID codes for this facility?
What type(s) of fish handling equipment are available at the facility?
Based on these measures, what has happened to performance over the past x year(s)?
What is the make of each type?
What is the model of each type?
How many of each type?
What is the expected remaining useful life of each type?
In what year was the facility purchased?
In what year was this facility built?
How much storage space for fishmeal does the facility have?
How much cold storage floor space does the facility have?
How much non-cold storage floor space does the facility have?
What is the handling capacity of the facility by product/species in metric tons (or pounds) per period?
What is the freezing capacity of the facility in metric tons of product per period?
How many cubic feet of freezer storage does the facility have?
How many cubic feet of other cold storage does the facility have?
Fishery participation:
What species are handled at this facility?
What products are handled in the facility?
By species and product type, to which markets are products sold?
What are the sources of fish product? (e.g., domestic vessel deliveries to the facility from the EEZ off the West Coast; fish landed on the West Coast by domestic fishing vessels and shipped to the facility from other parts of the West Coast area; domestic fish (fish delivered by domestic fishing vessels) shipped to the West Coast from outside the area; fish imported from outside the country; fish shipped in from outside the EEZ or Alaska)
Does the facility have waterfront access for receiving fish?
Do you handle other products besides fish in this facility?
If an auction
How many days a week does the auction operate?
How many buyers participate in a typical day, week, and quarter?
What services does the auction provide?
Is the auction a display auction?
Question 2. Ownership
Type (e.g., Sole Proprietor, Corporation or Subsidiary)
What is the name and contact information for the primary owner of the facility?
What is the name of the company that owns this facility?
What is this company's main address?
If there is more than one owner:
How many other owners are there?
Who are the other owners and what percentage does each own?
Who is the primary contact regarding this facility’s operations in the event we need to contact him/her for further information?
Please provide contact information for this individual.
Is this facility owned or leased by the operator?
Does a management company run this facility?
If yes, please provide contact information for this company.
Do the owners of this facility also own catcher vessels?
If yes, please provide vessel identification.
Is this facility owned by a company that owns catcher vessels?
Is this facility owned by a company that owns other facilities?
How much time does the owner(s) spend handling fish commercially or participating in commercial fish handling activities?
Does the facility employ buyers in other ports?
Question 3. Capital and Other Asset Costs
The following questions deal with the long-term debt position and assets associated with this facility in year X:
At the beginning of year X, what was the total debt?
What new debt was incurred during year X?
What was the total amount of principal paid in year X?
What was the total amount of interest paid in year X?
What was the total amount of the original loan?
What is the outstanding balance in year X?
What is the interest rate on the loan?
What was the source of credit (Bank, home equity, other)?
If this facility is owned, what were the total debt/interest expenses in period X?
If this facility is leased, what were the total lease payments in period X?
What were the facility's depreciation costs in period X including all gear, equipment and land?
What is the book value of the facility including all gear, equipment and land?
What is the estimated market value of the facility including all gear, equipment and land?
What is the estimated market value of the fish handling equipment in this facility?
What is the estimated market value of the land on which this facility sits?
Does this facility have any limited access permits or catch share privileges attached to it? Y N
If yes, what is the estimated market value of each type of permit or catch share privilege attached to this facility?
If you lease limited entry permits or catch share privileges owned by others:
For which particular fisheries are you leasing permits or catch share privileges?
How much was spent to lease permits or catch share privileges?
For how long did you lease the permits or catch share privileges?
When did you lease the permits or catch share privileges (date)?
What is the estimated current market value of each type of lease?
If you own limited access permits or catch share privileges:
When did you receive these permits or catch share privileges and, if they were purchased, what was their purchase price?
What is the estimated current market value of each type of permit or catch share privilege attached to this facility?
How likely are you to sell your limited access permit or catch share privileges if a buyback program were offered?
Very Likely __ Likely __ Not Likely __ Not at all __ Not sure __
If you were interested in selling your permit or catch share privileges, what would be a fair price for each?
If you were interested in selling your permit or catch share privileges, what is the minimum amount you would accept for them?
What is the maximum percent of your West Coast ex-vessel revenues would you be willing to pay to fund a buyback program?
0% __ 1% __ 2% __ 3% __ 4% __ 5% __
What is the minimum amount you would accept for a 1-year lease of each of type of permit or catch share privilege?
Is there any other capital with a replacement cost greater than $x owned by or associated with this facility?
If yes, what is it?
If yes, what is the estimated market value of each type of capital?
Question 4. Fixed and Variable Costs
Total (fixed and variable) business expenses reported on tax return for this period.
Does this company use an accounting service?
If yes, please provide the contact information.
Does this company use a bookkeeping service?
If yes, please provide contact information.
In the future, would you be willing to allow your accounting or bookkeeping firms to release cost/earnings data to us as an alternative to completing a survey?
How much was spent during the year on each of the following cost categories in year X:
overhead expense including association dues, professional fees (legal, financial, accounting, etc.), office expenses
fishery landing/business taxes associated with this facility
income taxes
other taxes associated with this facility not including income taxes or fishery business taxes based on amount of fish landed (e.g., property taxes)
P&I associated with this facility
other insurance associated with this facility (not including P&I)
routine facility and equipment maintenance
non-routine maintenance (i.e., major overhauls, refittings)
management salaries or fees
other fixed costs (please give only the total amount for other fixed costs but list below the components of that total.
finished product storage
utilities
property taxes
Did this company donate any catch or processed products to charitable organizations?
If yes, what was the value of the donations?
Does this company have any short term operating or business loans?
If yes what are the terms of these loans (e.g. principal and interest payments, interest rate, original loan amount, outstanding balance, interest rate, source of credit)?
Did the facility lease licenses, limited entry permits or catch share privileges or buy quota for period X?
If yes, how much was spent to lease them or buy quota (by fishery/gear/period)?
If yes, how much was leased or purchased (by fishery/gear/period)?
Does this facility operate seasonally?
If yes, what was the cost of opening the facility?
If yes, how much lead time was required to hire crews, etc.?
By fishery/region per period/unit of product and associated with this facility:
What were the payments to fish handling labor?
What were the salary payments to fish handling management?
What were the benefit costs to fish handling labor?
What were the benefit costs to fish handling management?
What were other payments to labor?
What were the costs of employee transportation?
What were labor recruitment costs?
What were the fuel/lubricant costs and quantities?
What were the facility's utility costs and quantities?
What were the ice costs and quantities?
What were the food costs?
What were the water costs?
What were the product additive costs and quantities?
What were the packaging costs?
What were the bait costs and quantities for each type of bait used?
What were other supply costs?
What were the total loading and unloading costs?
What were the waste disposal costs?
What were the communication costs?
If observers were at the facility, what were the observer costs?
What were shipping costs?
How much was paid for fish in total by species?
How much fish in pounds or metric tons was purchased/obtained by species?
In addition to what was paid for fish, did this facility provide any goods or services for deliveries in period X?
If yes, what types of goods/services did the company provide?
If yes, what was the approximate cost of the goods/services provided?
Did the facility provide any post-season settlement(s) for fish deliveries?
If yes, what was the approximate amount of the settlement(s)?
How was each position paid (e.g., salaries, hourly, share system)?
How were handling labor costs calculated?
How were handling management costs calculated?
Does this facility provide or subsidize room and board for employees?
If yes, what were the costs incurred for this room and board?
Sources/access to credit, bank, home equity, mortgage company, credit cards, and loans from family?
Question 5. Effort
Please indicate the number of days in year X the facility spent in each of the following activities:
active in handling fish
shut down for maintenance
idle due to lack of <<economically viable>> fish handling opportunities?
By fishery/season/zone:
what was the pre-season set-up time?
how many days were spent handing fish in an average period?
how many shifts were there per day?
what was the average length of each shift?
Question 6. Revenue
What were the ex- facility quantities and prices by species, product form and quality/grade?
What was the ex-facility value of product FOB {insert state, city, e.g., FOB Alaska or FOB Seattle} by species, product form and quality/grade?
What types of businesses are your major customers and what is percent of sales?
Institutions – hospitals, prisons, schools __________%
Retail grocery stores __________ %
Wholesalers/Distributors __________%
Processors __________%
Other (indicate) __________%
What percent of your gross sales is sold to US buyers ____% and what percent of gross sales are exported outside the US __________%
If the facility is an auction, who pays the auction fees buyer or seller?
If the facility is an auction, what are the financial criteria for participating buyers (credit/bond)?
On average what percentage of facility sales were written off as bad debt expense in period X?
Did this facility have any direct sales to consumers?
If yes, is this retail, restaurant, catering or other food service to consumers?
What was the approximate annual revenue for sales to consumers?
Did this facility sell bait to commercial or sport fishermen?
If yes, what was the approximate annual revenue from bait sales by species?
Did this facility have any other fish handling related revenue sources in period X?
If yes, what were they?
If yes, approximately how much annual revenue did the facility get from each source?
If you leased limited entry permits or catch share privileges to others:
How much was received from leasing permits or catch share privileges in year X?
For how long did you lease the permits or catch share privileges in year X?
For which particular fisheries are you leasing the permits or catch share privileges?
If you sold limited entry permits or catch share privileges to others:
How much was received from selling permits or catch share privileges in year X?
For which particular fisheries did you sell permits or catch share privileges?
Question 7. Opportunity Cost of Capital
For each fishery and period in which the facility participated during period X, what would have been the next best possible use of the facility and how would that have affected profitability?
Question 8. Regional Impact
For each of the following cost categories please specify the facility’s total annual expenditures; the percentage expended locally (in the county of the facility); the percentage expended in state but outside the county of the facility; the percentage expended in region (e.g., Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Southeast, Gulf, West Coast, Alaska); the percentage expended in other US states; and the percentage expended abroad. For labor, consider the expenditure to be made in the laborer's county of residence. (This question will be presented in tabular format.)
Example for West Coast vessel:
Total expenditures in:
Home Home state
county/port AK WOC Other US non-US
Plant/Equipment Repair
Fuel & Electric
Food and Supplies
Ice and Bait
Processing wages
Fishery Business or Landings Taxes
Dues and Fees
Insurance
Interest Expense
Licenses
Packaging materials
Transportation
Communication
Moorage
Miscellaneous
How much of this facility’s total sales are made locally, within the state, out-of-state and exported outside the US?
Home County Home State Other US Sates Exported
Gross sales to $$$$ $$$$$$$$ $$$$$$$$$$ $$$$$$
Question 9. Labor and Demographics
For each fishery/season provide the positions employed, the average number of workers employed in each position and how that position was paid.
Contact information for crew/employees.
Crew/Employee demographics (See the separate list of potential demographic questions for all types of fishing vessels and fish handling facilities.)
Question 10. Other
What year did this facility start in the commercial fishery?
By fishery:
Over the past x years how have changes in fishing regulations affected utilization rates, percentage of time laid up, product recovery rates, product quality and grades, product forms, fixed and variable costs, input configurations, crew compensation and turnover, facility investments, your processing share?
By fishery/season:
If the season were extended by x days, would this facility take part in the extended season?
If yes, what activities would the facility be engaged in if the season was not extended?
If yes, what would the expected gross and net revenues be for this additional period of fishing?
If the season were extended by x days, how would the ex-vessel price paid to catcher vessels be affected?
If yes, what would be the maximum number of additional days you would participate in this fishery/season if it were extended?
If the same quantity of fish were landed and handled over a period X days longer than the past season, how would utilization rates, product quality, and handling cost per metric ton of product be affected?
By fishery/season, how would handling the same quantity of fish over a period X days longer than last season affect product recovery rates, product quality, and handling cost per metric ton of product?
By fishery/season, how has handling fish over a period X days longer than another past season affected product recovery rates, product quality, and handling cost per metric ton of product?
Has this facility participated in any Community Development Quota (CDQ) fisheries?
If yes, was monetary compensation paid to the quota holder?
If yes, were quota holders given non-monetary compensation or considerations for the use of their quota, and if so in what form?
If yes, what benefits/advantages did the use of a CDQ provide other than additional catch?
If yes, was the facility obligated to take the entire CDQ contracted for?
If yes, did the facility pay a higher price for fish caught under the CDQ than fish caught in the open access fishery?
If yes, did the facility receive a higher price for products produced from CDQ fish?
If yes, were products produced from CDQ fish of a different quality than those produce from non-CDQ fish of the same species?
If yes, was the recovery rate different for products processed from CDQ fisheries?
What measures do you use to assess the financial performance of the facility?
Based on these measures, what has happened to performance over the past x year(s)?
If financial performance has changed, what are the primary reasons?
What changes in financial performance can be attributed to changes in fishing regulations?
What measures of economic performance for the fishery, and fleet as a whole, would be useful in assessing relative performance over time?
What additional data (if any) not asked for in this survey might they require?
Please list the catcher vessels that fished on contractual arrangements/market orders for this facility in period X.
Describe the types of contractual arrangement by which fish were supplied by each catcher vessel.
Please indicate to which of the following the facility sold its products in year X: independent wholesalers, other processors, marketing branch within the same company that owns the facility, foreign buyers, restaurants, retailers, consumers.
What were the estimated recovery rates for each product by species and season?
What were the estimated costs for each day spent handling fish by season?
What is the impact on this facility of changing
Fuel prices?
Stocks of fish, including bait?
Environmental change?
Ocean and ecosystem health?
Fishing regulations including Marine Protected Areas?
Environmental/pollution regulations?
Zoning regulations?
Competition from other processors?
Competition from foreign ports/fisheries?
Competition from other uses of waterfront land?
Other (please define)?
List of Potential Questions for Motherships
Date surveyed completed.
Name of person(s) completing survey.
Question 1. Vessel Characteristics
What is the vessel's US Coast Guard ID?
What is the vessel's state ID?
What is the vessel's name?
What is the vessel's hull type?
What material is the vessel hull?
What is the vessel's gross tonnage?
What is the vessel's net tonnage?
What is the vessel's length overall?
What is the vessel's registered length?
What is the vessel's beam?
What is the vessel's fuel capacity?
What type of fuel does the vessel use?
What type of propulsion does the vessel use?
For main and auxiliary engines:
What is the make?
What is the model?
What is the horsepower?
How old is each engine?
What is the remaining expected useful life of each engine?
When was the last complete engine overhaul?
What type(s) of electronic equipment does this vessel have on board?
What is the remaining expected useful life of this equipment?
What is the vessel's hold capacity (in pounds of fish)?
What is the remaining expected useful life of this vessel (as a fish processing vessel)?
What was the purchase price of this vessel?
In what year was this vessel built?
In what year was this vessel purchased?
What is the homeport for this vessel?
In which port is the majority of vessel maintenance done?
In what year was the last structural modification made to this vessel?
What was that modification?
Where was this work done?
Which of the following storage capabilities does the vessel have?
Ice
Freezer
Live Fish Hold
RSW
Fish Meal
What types of processing equipment are available on board this vessel?
What is the make of each type?
What is the model of each type?
How many is there of each type?
How old is each type?
What is the expected remaining useful life of each type?
What is the total area and volume of the vessel’s cold storage facilities?
How much frozen product can the vessel hold?
How much freezer storage space does the vessel have?
How much non‑cold storage volume does the vessel have?
How much storage space does the vessel have for fishmeal?
What is the vessel's processing capacity by species/product per period (in metric tons or pounds)?
For each product the vessel freezes, what is the freezing capacity of the vessel per period?
What species are processed on board this vessel?
What products are processed on board this vessel?
To which markets are products sold?
Question 2. Ownership
Type (e.g., Sole Proprietor, Corporation or Subsidiary)
Who is the primary owner of the vessel?
Please provide contact information for this individual.
If there is more than one owner:
How many other owners are there?
Who are the other owners and what percentage does each own?
Who is the primary contact regarding this vessel's operations in the event we need to contact him/her for further information?
Please provide contact information for this individual.
Is this vessel owned or leased by the operator?
Does a management company run this vessel?
If yes, please provide the contact information for this company.
If yes, is the management company independent of the vessel-owning company?
Do the owners of this vessel also own catcher vessels?
If yes, please provide vessel identification.
Is this vessel owned by a company that owns other vessels?
Is this vessel owned by a company that owns processing plants?
How much time does the owner(s) spend processing commercially or participating in commercial processing activities?
Does the vessel owner participate in the Capital Construction Fund program using revenues from this vessel?
Does the vessel owner participate in the Fishing Vessel Obligation Guaranty program with this vessel?
Question 3. Capital and Other Asset Costs
The following questions deal with the long-term debt position associated with this vessel in year X:
At the beginning of year X, what was the total debt?
What new debt was incurred during year X?
What was the total amount of principal paid in year X?
What was the total amount of interest paid in year X?
What was the total amount of the original loan?
What is the outstanding balance in year X?
What is the interest rate on the loan?
What was the source of credit (Bank, home equity, other)?
If this vessel is owned, what were the total debt/interest expenses in period x?
If this vessel is leased, what were the total lease payments in period x?
What were the vessel's depreciation costs in period x including all gear and equipment?
What is the book value of the vessel including all gear and equipment?
What is the estimated market value of the vessel including all gear and equipment?
What is the estimated market value of the electronic equipment on this vessel?
What is the estimated market value of the fishing gear for this vessel?
What is the estimated market value of the processing equipment on this vessel?
Does this vessel have any limited access permits/licenses or quota shares attached to it? Y N
If yes, what is the estimated market value of each type of licenses/shares attached to this vessel?
If you lease limited entry permits or catch share privileges owned by others:
For which particular fisheries are you leasing permits or catch share privileges?
How much was spent to lease permits or catch share privileges?
For how long did you lease the permits or catch share privileges?
When did you lease the permits or catch share privileges (date)?
What is the estimated current market value of each type of lease?
If you own limited access permits:
When did you receive these permits or catch share privileges and, if they were purchased, what was their purchase price?
What is the estimated current market value of each type of permits/licenses/shares attached to this vessel?
How likely are you to sell your limited access permit if a buyback program were offered?
Very Likely __ Likely __ Not Likely __ Not at all __ Not sure __
If you were interested in selling your permit, what would be a fair price for your permit?
If you were interested in selling your permit, what is the minimum amount you would accept for your permit?
What is the maximum percent of your West Coast ex-vessel revenues would you be willing to pay to fund a buyback program?
0% __ 1% __ 2% __ 3% __ 4% __ 5% __
What is the minimum amount you would accept for a 1-year lease of each of type of permits/license/shares?
Is there any other capital with a replacement cost greater than $x owned by or associated with this vessel?
If yes, what is it?
If yes, what is the estimated market value of each type of capital?
Question 4. Fixed and Variable Costs
Total (fixed and variable) business expenses reported on tax return for this period.
Does this company use an accounting service?
If yes, please provide the contact information.
Does this company use a bookkeeping service?
If yes, please provide contact information.
In the future, would you be willing to allow your accounting or bookkeeping firms to release cost/earnings data to us as an alternative to completing a survey?
How much was spent during the year on each of the following cost categories in year X:
overhead expense including association dues, professional fees (legal, financial, accounting, etc.), office expenses
fishery landing/business taxes associated with this vessel
income taxes
other taxes associated with this vessel not including income taxes or fishery business taxes based on amount of fish landed (e.g., property taxes)
P&I associated with this vessel
other insurance associated with this vessel (not including P&I)
routine vessel and equipment maintenance (not including fishing gear)
non-routine maintenance (i.e., major overhauls, new engine, refittings)
management salaries or fees
gear loss
vessel moorage or storage or gear storage associated with this vessel
other shore costs
safety equipment; EPIRB, survival suits, rafts, fire extinguishers, first aid kits
other fixed costs (please give only the total amount for other fixed costs but list below the components of that total.
Did the vessel lease licenses, limited entry permits or catch share privileges or buy quota for period X?
If yes, how much was spent to lease them or buy quota (by fishery/gear/period)?
If yes, how much was leased or purchased (by fishery/gear/period)?
If this vessel has a west coast homeport and was active in Alaska or has an Alaskan homeport and was active on the west coast, what was the cost of transporting the vessel from homeport the fishing grounds?
Did this company donate any catch or processed products to charitable organizations?
If yes, what was the value of the donations?
Does this company have any short term operating or business loans?
If yes what are the terms of these loans (e.g. principal and interest payments, interest rate, original loan amount, outstanding balance, interest rate, source of credit)?
By fishery/region per period/unit of product and associated with this vessel:
What were the payments to a hired skipper?
What were the payments to an owner acting as skipper?
What were the payments to crew (not including skipper)?
What were the benefit costs to crew?
What were the payments to processing labor?
What were the salary payments to processing management?
What were the benefit costs to processing labor?
What were other payments to labor?
What were the costs of employee transportation?
What were labor recruitment costs?
What were the fuel/lubricant costs and quantities?
What were the ice costs and quantities?
What were the food costs?
What were the water costs?
What were the product additive costs and quantities?
What were the packaging costs?
What were the bait costs and quantities for each type of bait used?
What were other supply costs?
What were the total loading and unloading costs?
What were the waste disposal costs?
What were the communication costs?
If observers were carried on board, what were the observer costs?
What were the ex‑vessel fish costs by species?
In addition to what was paid for fish, did this vessel provide any goods or services for deliveries in period x?
If yes, what types of goods/services did the company provide?
If yes, what was the approximate cost of the goods/services provided?
Did the vessel provide any post-season settlement(s) for fish deliveries?
If yes, what was the approximate amount of the settlement(s)?
What were shipping costs?
In year X, was more than one type of fishing gear used on this vessel?
If yes, how much did each gear change cost?
How was each position paid? (e.g., salaries, hourly, crew share)
How were processing labor costs calculated?
If a crew share system was used, please describe it.
For other labor only:
How much was spent in period x on non-management wages?
How much was spent in period x on management salaries?
How much was spent in period x on benefits?
How much was spent in period x on other labor related costs?
What were labor recruitment costs in period x?
What were labor transportation costs in period x?
• Sources/access to credit, bank, home equity, mortgage company, credit cards, and loans from family?
Question 5. Effort/Crew Descriptors
Please indicate the number of days in year X the vessel spent in each of the following activities:
at sea active in processing
at sea in transit
in port for maintenance, set-up or routine layovers
in port laid up due to lack of economically viable fishing opportunities
By fishery/season/zone:
what was the pre-season set-up time?
how many days were spent away from port in an average period?
what is/was the minimum number of days the vessel would be expected to spend in port between fishing trips?
how many days were spent processing in an average period?
what constitutes a typical crew, by position?
how many processing shifts were there per day?
what was the average length of each shift?
Question 6. Catch/Revenue
Did this vessel participate in any West Coast or Alaska fisheries in period x?
If yes, in which fishery(ies)?
If yes, what were the landing amounts by species?
If yes, what time of the year were these landings made?
If yes, what was the catch quality and condition by species?
If yes, what was the quantity discarded?
If yes, what was the weighback?
If yes, what were the quantities of product by species, product form and quality/grade for each period?
If yes, what were the revenues associated with this production by species, product form and quality/grade for each period?
If yes, were any of these product sales transactions within the company or between subsidiaries of a larger company and if so which?
What were the ex-processor quantities and prices by species, product form and quality/grade?
What was the ex-processed value of product FOB Alaska or FOB Seattle by species, product form and quality/grade?
What types of businesses are your major customers and what is percent of sales?
Institutions – hospitals, prisons, schools __________%
Retail grocery stores __________ %
Wholesalers/Distributors __________%
Processors __________%
Other (indicate) __________%
What percent of your gross sales is sold to US buyers ____% and what percent of gross sales are exported outside the US __________%
On average what percentage of plant sales were written off as bad debt expense in period x?
Did this vessel have any direct sales to consumers?
If yes, is this retail, restaurant, catering or other food service to consumers?
What was the approximate annual revenue for sales to consumers?
What were the estimated recovery rates for each product by species?
Did this plant have any other processing related revenue sources in period x?
If yes, what were they?
If yes, approximately how much annual revenue did the plant get from each source?
Excluding the fishing income related to the Alaska landings described above and landings for which West Coast fish tickets were filled out, was there any other fishing related income in period x associated with this vessel?
If yes, from what general area was the fish associated with this revenue caught?
If yes, what was the time of year?
If yes, approximately how much revenue was received from these sources?
If yes, what were the sources of this income?
If yes, what was the catch quality and condition by species?
If yes, what was the quantity discarded?
If yes, what was the weighback?
If you leased limited entry permits or catch share privileges to others:
How much was received from leasing permits or catch share privileges in year X?
For how long did you lease the permits or catch share privileges in year X?
For which particular fisheries are you leasing the permits or catch share privileges?
If you sold limited entry permits or catch share privileges to others:
How much was received from selling permits or catch share privileges in year X?
For which particular fisheries did you sell permits or catch share privileges?
Question 7. Opportunity Cost of Capital
For each fishery and period in which the vessel participated during year X, what would have been the next best possible use of the vessel and how would that have affect profitability?
Question 8. Regional Impact
For each of the following cost categories please specify the vessel's total annual expenditures; the percentage spent in Alaska; the percentage spent in Washington; the percentage spent in Oregon; the percentage spent California; the percentage spent in other states and the percentage spent abroad. For crewmembers, consider the expenditure to be made in the crewmembers county of residence. (This will be in tabular form)
Total expenditures in:
Home Home state
county/port AK WOC Other US non-US
Vessel/Engine repair/replacement
Gear repair/replacement
Fuel/lubricant
Food and Supplies
Ice and Bait
Processing wages
Fishery Business or Landings Taxes
Dues and Fees
Insurance
Interest Expense
Licenses
Packaging materials
Transportation
Communication
Moorage
Miscellaneous
How much of this vessel’s total sales are made locally, within the state, out-of-state and exported outside the US?
Home County Home State Other US Sates Exported
Gross sales to $$$$ $$$$$$$$ $$$$$$$$$$ $$$$$$
Question 9. Labor and Demographics
For each fishery/season provide the positions employed, the average number of workers employed in each position and how that position was paid.
For each skipper this vessel employed in period x, provide the name of the skipper and months s/he was employed.
Contact information for crew/employees.
Crew/Employee demographics (See the separate list of potential demographic questions for all types of fishing vessels and fish handling facilities.)
Question 10. Other
What year did this vessel start in the commercial fishery?
By fishery:
Over the past x years how have changes in fishing regulations affected utilization rates, percentage of time laid up, product recovery rates, product quality and grades, product forms, fixed and variable costs, input configurations, crew compensation and turnover, plant investments, your processing share??
By fishery/season:
If the season were extended by x days, would this vessel take part in the extended season?
If yes, what activities would the vessel be engaged in if the season were not extended?
If yes, what would the expected gross and net revenues be for this additional period of fishing?
If the season were extended by x days, how would the ex‑vessel price paid to catcher vessels be affected?
If yes, what would be the maximum number of additional days you would participate in this fishery/season if it were extended?
If the same quantity of fish were landed and processed over a period x days longer than the past season, how would utilization rates, product quality, and processing cost per metric ton of product be affected?
By fishery/season, how would processing the same quantity of fish over a period x days longer than last season affect product recovery rates, product quality, and processing cost per metric ton of product?
By fishery/season, how has processing fish over a period x days longer than another past season affected product recovery rates, product quality, and processing cost per metric ton of product?
Has this vessel participated in any Community Development Quota (CDQ) fisheries?
If yes, was monetary compensation paid to the quota holder?
If yes, were quota holders given non‑monetary compensation or considerations for the use of their quota, and if so in what form?
If yes, what benefits/advantages did the use of a CDQ provide other than additional catch?
If yes, was the vessel obligated to take the entire CDQ contracted for?
If yes, did the vessel pay a higher price for fish caught under the CDQ than fish caught in the open-access fishery?
If yes, did the vessel receive a higher price for products produced from CDQ fish?
If yes, were products produced from CDQ fish of a different quality than those produce from non-CDQ fish of the same species?
If yes, was the recovery rate different for products processed from CDQ fisheries?
What measures do you use to assess the financial performance of the vessel?
Based on these measures, what has happened to performance over the past x year(s)?
If financial performance has changed, what are the primary reasons?
What changes in financial performance can be attributed to changes in fishing regulations?
What measures of economic performance for the fishery, and fleet as a whole, would be useful in assessing relative performance over time?
What additional data (if any) not asked for in this survey might they require?
Please list the catcher vessels that fished on contractual arrangements/market orders for this vessel in period x.
Describe the types of contractual arrangement by which fish were supplied by each catcher vessel.
Please indicate to which of the following the vessel sold its products in year X: independent wholesaler, other processors, marketing branch within the same company as that which owns the vessel, foreign buyers, restaurants, retailers, consumers.
What were the estimated recovery rates for each product by species and season?
What were the estimated costs for each day spent processing by season?
What is the impact on this vessel of changing
Fuel prices?
Stocks of fish, including bait?
Environmental change?
Ocean and ecosystem health?
Fishing regulations including Marine Protected Areas?
Environmental/pollution regulations?
Competition from other processors?
Competition from foreign ports/fisheries?
Other (please define)?
List of Potential Questions for Catcher/Processor Vessels
Date surveyed completed.
Name of person(s) completing survey.
Question 1. Vessel Characteristics
What is the vessel's US Coast Guard ID?
What is the vessel's state ID?
What is the vessel's name?
What is the vessel's hull type?
What material is the vessel hull?
What is the vessel's gross tonnage?
What is the vessel's net tonnage?
What is the vessel's length overall?
What is the vessel's registered length?
What is the vessel's beam?
What is the vessel's fuel capacity?
What type of fuel does the vessel use?
What type of propulsion does the vessel use?
For main and auxiliary engines:
What is the make?
What is the model?
What is the horsepower?
How old is each engine?
What is the remaining expected useful life of each engine?
When was the last complete engine overhaul?
What type(s) of electronic equipment does this vessel have on board?
What is the remaining expected useful life of this equipment?
What is the vessel's hold capacity (in pounds of fish)?
What is the remaining expected useful life of this vessel as a fishing vessel?
What was the purchase price of this vessel?
In what year was this vessel built?
In what year was this vessel purchased?
What was the homeport of this vessel?
In which port was the majority of vessel maintenance done?
In what year was the last major structural modification made to this vessel?
What was that modification?
Where was this work done?
Which of the following storage capabilities does the vessel have?
Ice
Freezer
Live Fish Hold
RSW
Fish Meal
What types of processing equipment are available on board this vessel?
What is the make of each type?
What is the model of each type?
How much is there of each type?
How old is each type?
What is the expected remaining useful life of each type?
What is the total area and volume of the vessel's cold storage facilities?
How much frozen product can the vessel hold?
How much freezer storage space does the vessel have?
How much non‑cold storage volume does the vessel have?
How much storage space does the vessel have for fishmeal?
What is the vessel's processing capacity by species/product per period (in metric tons or pounds)?
For each product the vessel freezes, what is the freezing capacity of the vessel per period?
What species are processed on board this vessel?
What products are processed on board this vessel?
To which markets are the products sold?
Does the vessel use an automatic baiter?
If yes, what is the make?
If yes, what is the model?
If yes, what is the remaining expected useful life of this equipment?
Without major structural modifications:
What type(s) of fishing gear is the vessel readily able to use?
How much of each type of fishing gear can the vessel readily use?
Question 2. Ownership
Type (e.g., Sole Proprietor, Corporation or Subsidiary )
Who is the primary owner of the vessel?
Please provide contact information for this individual.
If there is more than one owner:
How many other owners are there?
Who are the other owners and what percentage does each own?
Who is the primary contact regarding this vessel's operations in the event we need to contact him/her for further information?
Please provide contact information for this individual.
Is this vessel owned or leased by the operator?
Does a management company run this vessel?
If yes, please provide contact information for this company.
If yes, is the management company independent of the vessel-owning company?
Do the owners of this vessel also own catcher vessels?
If yes, please provide vessel identification.
Is this vessel owned by a company that owns other vessels?
Is this vessel owned by a company that owns processing plants?
How much time does the owner(s) spend fishing commercially or participating in commercial fishing activities?
Does the vessel owner participate in the Capital Construction Fund program using revenues from this vessel?
Does the vessel owner participate in the Fishing Vessel Obligation Guaranty program with this vessel?
Question 3. Capital and Other Asset Costs
The following questions deal with the long-term debt position associated with this vessel in year X:
At the beginning of year X, what was the total debt?
What new debt was incurred during year X?
What was the total amount of principal paid in year X?
What was the total amount of interest paid in year X?
What was the total amount of the original loan?
What is the outstanding balance in year X?
What is the interest rate on the loan?
What was the source of credit (Bank, home equity, other)?
If this vessel is owned, what were the total debt/interest expenses in period x?
If this vessel is leased, what were the total lease payments in period x?
What were the vessel's depreciation costs in period x including all gear and equipment?
What is the book value of the vessel including all gear and equipment?
What is the estimated market value of the vessel including all gear and equipment?
What is the estimated market value of the electronic equipment on this vessel?
What is the estimated market value of the fishing gear for this vessel?
What is the estimated market value of the processing equipment on this vessel?
Does this vessel have any limited access permits/licenses or quota shares attached to it? Y N
If yes, what is the estimated market value of each type of licenses/shares attached to this vessel?
If you lease limited entry permits or catch share privileges owned by others:
For which particular fisheries are you leasing permits or catch share privileges?
How much was spent to lease permits or catch share privileges?
For how long did you lease the permits or catch share privileges?
When did you lease the permits or catch share privileges (date)?
What is the estimated current market value of each type of lease?
If you own limited access permits or catch share privileges:
When did you receive these permits or catch share privileges and, if they were purchased, what was their purchase price?
What is the estimated current market value of each type of permits/licenses/shares attached to this vessel?
How likely are you to sell your limited access permit if a buyback program were offered?
Very Likely __ Likely __ Not Likely __ Not at all __ Not sure __
If you were interested in selling your permit, what would be a fair price for your permit?
If you were interested in selling your permit, what is the minimum amount you would accept for your permit?
What is the maximum percent of your West Coast ex-vessel revenues would you be willing to pay to fund a buyback program?
0% __ 1% __ 2% __ 3% __ 4% __ 5% __
What is the minimum amount you would accept for a 1-year lease of each of type of permits/license/shares?
Is there any other capital with a replacement cost greater than $x owned by or associated with this vessel?
If yes, what is it?
If yes, what is the estimated market value of each type of capital?
Question 4. Fixed and Variable Costs
Total (fixed and variable) business expenses reported on tax return for this period.
Does this company use an accounting service?
If yes, please provide the contact information.
Does this company use a bookkeeping service?
If yes, please provide contact information.
In the future, would you be willing to allow your accounting or bookkeeping firms to release cost/earnings data to us as an alternative to completing a survey?
How much was spent during the year on each of the following cost categories in year X:
overhead expense including association dues, professional fees (legal, financial, accounting, etc.), office expenses
fishery landing/business taxes associated with this vessel
income taxes
other taxes associated with this vessel not including income taxes or fishery business taxes based on amount of fish landed (e.g., property taxes)
P&I associated with this vessel
other insurance associated with this vessel (not including P&I)
safety equipment; EPIRB, survival suits, rafts, fire extinguishers, first aid kits
routine vessel and equipment maintenance (not including fishing gear)
non-routine maintenance (i.e., major overhauls, new engine, refittings)
management salaries or fees
gear loss
vessel moorage or storage or gear storage associated with this vessel
other shore costs
other fixed costs (please give only the total amount for other fixed costs but list below the components of that total.
Did this company donate any catch or processed products to charitable organizations?
If yes, what was the value of the donations?
Does this company have any short term operating or business loans?
If yes what are the terms of these loans (e.g. principal and interest payments, interest rate, original loan amount, outstanding balance, interest rate, source of credit)?
Did the vessel lease licenses, limited entry permits or catch share privileges or buy quota for period X?
If yes, how much was spent to lease them or buy quota (by fishery/gear/period)?
If yes, how much was leased or purchased (by fishery/gear/period)?
If this vessel has a west coast homeport and was active in Alaska or has an Alaskan homeport and was active on the west coast, what was the cost of transporting the vessel from homeport the fishing grounds?
By fishery/region per period/unit of product and associated with this vessel:
What were the payments to a hired skipper?
What were the payments to an owner acting as skipper?
What were the payments to crew (not including skipper)?
What were the benefit costs to crew?
What were the payments to processing labor?
What were the salary payments to processing management?
What were the benefit costs to processing labor?
What were other payments to labor?
What were the costs of employee transportation?
What were labor recruitment costs?
What were the fuel/lubricant costs and quantities?
What were the ice costs and quantities?
What were the food costs?
What were the water costs?
What were the product additive costs and quantities?
What were the packaging costs?
What were the bait costs and quantities for each type of bait used?
What were other supply costs?
What were the total loading and unloading costs?
What were the waste disposal costs?
What were the communication costs?
If observers were carried on board, what were the observer costs?
If the vessel purchased fish from catcher vessels, what were the ex‑vessel fish costs by species?
In addition to what was paid for fish, did this vessel provide any goods or services for deliveries in period x?
If yes, what types of goods/services did the company provide?
If yes, what was the approximate cost of the goods/services provided?
Did the vessel provide any post-season settlement(s) for fish deliveries?
If yes, what was the approximate amount of the settlement(s)?
What were shipping costs?
In year X, was more than one type of fishing gear used on this vessel?
If yes, how much did each gear change cost?
How was each position paid? (e.g., salaries, hourly, crew share)
How were processing labor costs calculated?
If a crew share system was used, please describe it.
For other labor only:
How much was spent in period x on non-management wages?
How much was spent in period x on management salaries?
How much was spent in period x on benefits?
How much was spent in period x on other labor related costs?
What were labor recruitment costs in period x?
What were labor transportation costs in period x?
Sources/access to credit, bank, home equity, mortgage company, credit cards, or loans from family?
Question 5. Effort
Please indicate the number of days in year X the vessel spent in each of the following activities:
at sea and active in fishing and processing
at sea but processing only
at sea in transit
in port for maintenance, set-up or routine layovers
in port laid up due to lack of economically viable fishing opportunities
By fishery/season/zone:
what was the pre-season set-up time?
how many days were spent away from port in an average period?
what is/was the minimum number of days the vessel would be expected to spend in port between fishing trips?
how many days were spent processing in an average period?
what constitutes a typical crew, by position?
how many processing shifts were there per day?
what was the average length of each shift?
Question 6. Catch/Revenue
Did this vessel participate in any West Coast or Alaska fisheries in period x?
If yes, in which fishery(ies)?
If yes, what were the landing amounts by species?
If yes, what time of the year were these landings made?
If yes, what was the catch quality and condition by species?
If yes, what was the quantity discarded?
If yes, what was the weighback?
If yes, what were the quantities of product by species, product form and quality/grade for each period?
If yes, what were the revenues associated with this production by species, product form and quality/grade for each period?
If yes, were any of these product sales transactions within the company or between subsidiaries of a larger company and if so which?
What were the ex-processor quantities and prices by species, product form and quality/grade?
What was the ex-processed value of product FOB Alaska or FOB Seattle by species, product form and quality/grade?
What types of businesses are your major customers and what is percent of sales?
Institutions – hospitals, prisons, schools __________%
Retail grocery stores __________ %
Wholesalers/Distributors __________%
Processors __________%
Other (indicate) __________%
What percent of your gross sales is sold to US buyers ____% and what percent of gross sales are exported outside the US __________%
On average what percentage of vessel sales were written off as a bad debt expense in period x?
Did this vessel have any direct sales to consumers?
If yes, is this retail, restaurant, catering or other food service to consumers?
What was the approximate annual revenue for sales to consumers?
Did this vessel have any other processing related revenue sources in period x?
If yes, what were they?
If yes, approximately how much annual revenue did the vessel get from each source?
Excluding the fishing income related to the Alaska and West Coast landings, was there any other fishing related income in period x associated with this vessel?
If yes, from what general area was the fish associated with this revenue caught?
If yes, what was the time of year?
If yes, approximately how much revenue was received from these sources?
If yes, what were the sources of this income?
If yes, what was the catch quality and condition by species?
If yes, what was the quantity discarded?
If yes, what was the weighback? If you leased limited entry permits or catch share privileges to others:
How much was received from leasing permits or catch share privileges in year X?
For how long did you lease the permits or catch share privileges in year X?
For which particular fisheries are you leasing the permits or catch share privileges?
If you sold limited entry permits or catch share privileges to others:
How much was received from selling permits or catch share privileges in year X?
For which particular fisheries did you sell permits or catch share privileges?
Question 7. Opportunity Cost of Capital
For each fishery and period in which the vessel participated during period x, what would have been the next best possible use of the vessel and how would that have affected profitability?
Question 8. Regional Impact
For each of the following cost categories please specify the vessel's total annual expenditures; the percentage expended locally (in the county of the vessel's homeport); the percentage expended in state but outside the county of the vessel's homeport; the percentage expended in Washington, Oregon and California; the percentage expended in AK; the percentage expended in other US states; and the percentage expended abroad. For crewmembers, consider the expenditure to be made in the crewmember's county of residence.
Total expenditures in:
Home Home state
county/port AK WOC Other US non-US
Vessel/Engine/Gear Repair/Replacement
Fuel/lubricant
Food and Supplies
Ice and Bait
Crew Share
Processing wages
Fishery Business or Landings Taxes
Dues and Fees
Insurance
Interest Expense
Licenses
Packaging materials
Transportation
Communication
Moorage
Miscellaneous
How much of this vessel’s total sales are made locally, within the state, out-of-state and exported outside the US?
Home County Home State Other US Sates Exported
Gross sales to $$$$ $$$$$$$$ $$$$$$$$$$ $$$$$$
Question 9. Labor and Demographics
For each fishery/season provide the positions employed, the average number of workers employed in each position and how that position was paid.
For each skipper this vessel employed in period x, provide the name of the skipper and months s/he was employed.
Contact information for crew/employees.
Crew/Employee demographics (See the separate list of potential demographic questions for all types of fishing vessels and fish handling facilities.)
Question 10. Other
What year did this vessel start in the commercial fishery?
By fishery:
Over the past x years how have changes in fishing regulations affected product recovery rates, product quality and grades, product forms, utilization rates, catch per unit effort, percentage of time spent searching, percentage of time laid up, targeting strategies, fixed and variable costs, input configurations, crew compensation and turnover, vessel investments, your catch share?
By fishery/gear/season if the season were extended by x days, would this vessel take part in the extended season?
If yes, in what activities would the vessel be engaged if the season were not extended?
If yes, what would the expected revenues be for this additional period of fishing?
If yes, what would be the maximum number of additional days you would participate in this fishery/season if it were extended?
If the same quantity of fish were landed and processed over a period x days longer than the past season, how would utilization rates, product quality, and processing cost per metric ton of product be affected?
By fishery/season, how would harvesting the same quantity of fish over a period x days longer than last season affect catch per unit effort, fish quality, and harvesting cost per metric ton of product?
By fishery/season, how would processing the same quantity of fish over a period x days longer than last season affect product recovery rates, product quality, and processing cost per metric ton of product?
By fishery/season, how has harvesting fish over a period x days longer than another past season affected catch per unit effort, targeting strategies, fish quality, and harvesting cost per metric ton of product?
By fishery/season, how has processing fish over a period x days longer than another past season affected product recovery rates, product quality, and processing cost per metric ton of product?
Has this vessel participated in any Community Development Quota (CDQ) fisheries?
If yes, was monetary compensation paid to the quota holder?
If yes, were quota holders given non‑monetary compensation or considerations for the use of their quota, and if so in what form?
If yes, what benefits/advantages did the use of a CDQ provide other than additional catch?
If yes, was the vessel obligated to take the entire CDQ contracted for?
If yes, did the vessel receive a higher price for products produced from CDQ fish?
If yes, were products produced from CDQ fish of a different quality than those produce from non-CDQ fish of the same species?
If yes, was the recovery rate different for products processed from CDQ fisheries?
What measures do you use to assess the financial performance of the vessel?
Based on these measures, what has happened to performance over the past x year(s)?
If financial performance has changed, what are the primary reasons?
What changes in financial performance can be attributed to changes in fishing regulations?
What measures of economic performance for the fishery, and fleet as a whole, would be useful in assessing relative performance over time?
What additional data (if any) not asked for in this survey might they require?
Please list the catcher vessels that fished on contractual arrangements/market orders for this vessel in period x.
Describe the types of contractual arrangement by which fish were supplied by each catcher vessel.
Please list the fish buyers and processors (excluding this vessel) for which this vessel fished on contractual arrangements in period x.
Describe the types of contractual arrangement by which fish were supplied to each processor.
Please indicate to which of the following the vessel sold its products in period x: independent wholesaler, other processors, marketing branch within the same company that owns the vessel, foreign buyers, restaurants, retailers, and consumers.
What were the estimated recovery rates for each product by species and season?
What were the estimated daily costs for harvesting and processing by season?
What is the impact on this vessel of changing
Fuel prices?
Stocks of fish, including bait?
Environmental change?
Ocean and ecosystem health?
Fishing regulations including Marine Protected Areas?
Environmental/pollution regulations?
Competition from other fishing vessels and processors?
Competition from foreign ports/fisheries?
Other (please define)?
List of Potential Demographic Questions for Crew/Employees of Fishing Vessels and Fish Handling Facilities
Crew/Employee demographics
Name, birth date (age), and contact information.
Respondent's race and country of ancestry:
American Indian or Alaska Native (specify tribe);
Asian (specify country of ancestry, e.g., Cambodia, Vietnam, Korea);
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander (specify country of ancestry, e.g., Guam, Hawaii);
Black or African American (specify country of ancestry, e.g., US, Haiti, South Africa, Uganda);
White (specify country of ancestry, e.g., Italy, Norway, Portugal, or Lebanon).
Is the respondent Hispanic or Latino (i.e., a person of Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, South or Central American, or other Spanish culture or origin, regardless of race)?
Language respondent speaks at home (e.g., English, Spanish, Portuguese, Vietnamese, Korean, or Italian)?
Percentage of respondent’s annual income from fishing related industries, e.g., fishing, processing, packing, dealing, or gear manufacture?
Household income or percentage of household annual income from fishing/fishing related industries?
Does the respondent belong to any fishing related organizations?
If so which one(s)?
What is the highest degree or level of school the respondent has completed?
Marital status
Number of persons in household
Religion
Other types of employment engaged in other than fishing
Other types of job training or certificates
Months usually engaged in other employment
What other job would be most likely employed if not working on this vessel or at this facility?
For fishing crew of a catcher vessel or catcher/processor vessel:
Number of years respondent has fished commercially or in survey fishery
Crew only: How many captains has the respondent fished with over the last five years?
Captain only: Years of experience as captain; how many owners has the respondent fished for over the last five years?
For crew of a charter vessel:
Number of years respondent has participated in a for-hire fishery
Crew only: How many captains has the respondent fished with over the last five years?
Captain only: Years of experience as captain; how many owners has the respondent fished for over the last five years?
For crew/employees of fish handling facilities, motherships, and other crew/employees of catcher/processor vessels:
Number of years respondent has worked in similar fishing related activities
Crew only: How many vessels/facilities has the respondent worked for over the last five years?
Captain/facility manager only: Years of experience as captain/manager; how many owners has the respondent worked for over the last five years?
| File Type | application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document |
| Author | Joe Terry |
| File Modified | 0000-00-00 |
| File Created | 2021-01-30 |