Question guide for processor interviews

Guide for Interviewers

Overview

Interviewer notes: Prompt or cue the respondent for continuation after each answer for Questions 1 and 2.

Refusal or Non-response, in the form of “I don’t know” is possible for some questions (Particularly questions 2,4, and 5). Clarify if “I don’t know” is polite “non-response” by asking: “What I would like to know is if you don't know, or if you'd rather not talk about it. If you would rather not talk about it, that's okay.”

Introduction:

We are conducting a survey to understand two things:

1. The role of fish processing in the regional economy.

2. The impacts, if any, of Hurricane Sandy on supply of fish, demand for fish.

In addition to understanding the direct impacts of Hurricane Sandy, answers to this survey will help NMFS understand how changes in regulations on fishing vessels impact fish processors and the regional economy of the Northeast United States. Your answers to these questions will be kept confidential as provided for under section 402(b) of the Magnuson-Stevens Act and NOAA Administrative Order 216-100.

[Pre-Question 1: We would like to spend a few minutes talking generally about the fish processing business.]

Question 1: In 2013, what limited the size of your business? What limited the profitability of your business?

• Do not prompt with expected answers.

• Do prompt with “anything else?” before moving to Question 2.

• Ask for clarification on regulations ( “NMFS” regulations or “other” regulations, such as food safety).

[Pre-question 2: We would like to focus discussion on the effects of Hurricane Sandy for a while. Hurricane Sandy hit New Jersey and New York at the end of October, 2012.]

Question 2: How did Hurricane Sandy affect your business? How did you respond to these impacts?

• Ask the questions without a prompt.

  • The respondent is likely to answer that there was no effect, because they are probably thinking about physical damages.

  • Prompt for business disruptions and physical damages if they are not mentioned. Note if the respondent needed prompting.

• Do prompt with “anything else?” before moving to Question 3.

[Pre-question 3: The order of questions 3-5 may be adjusted depending on the answers to question 2.]

Question 3: How many production workers per shift were working in Nov, 2012? Dec, 2012? How many hours per day was the plant operational? How many days per week was the plant operating? What percentage of typical operations do these represent?

• [“Typical operations” refers to a normal November or December.]

• [ Ensure that this does not refer to “production workers” only .]

  • Production workers, include line-supervisors, engaged in fabricating, processing,assembling, inspecting, receiving, packing, warehousing, shipping, maintenance, repair, janitorial, product development or product transport.

Question 4: During the two months following Hurricane Sandy (Nov. & Dec. of 2012), how many of your sales contracts were canceled by your customers?

• Q3F1: What percentage of your sales volume does this represent?

• Q4F2: What is typical for this two-month period?

• Q4F3: When did your customers return and what did your firm do in response?

Q4F2 refers to “The number of contracts and percentage of sales volume that are typically cancelled in the November and December period?”

Q5: During the two months following Hurricane Sandy (Nov. & Dec. of 2012), how many of your purchase contracts were canceled by your suppliers?

• Q5F1: What percentage of your purchasing volume does this represent?

• Q5F2: What is typical for this two-month period?

• Q5F3: When did your suppliers return and what did your firm do in response?

Q5F2 refers to “The number of contracts and percentage of purchase volume that are typically cancelled in the November and December period?”

[Pre-question 6: We would like to talk about what types of fish (whole vs. partially processed) that your company purchases and where that fish comes from (Where does the truck go to get fish?). We are interested in groundfish, monkfish, sea scallop, and “other whole” and “processed”]

Question 6: Approximately how many pounds of [product X] did your plant purchase in 2013 from [location Y]?

• Products: Whole groundfish, monkfish (whole, tail, liver), sea scallop, other finfish whole, finfish processed.

• Locations: Your state, the rest of your region, the “other” regions.

• [Interviewer note: Since product is delivered in slightly different forms, ensure that “whole groundfish” is understood to refer to anything that requires “cutting” (still has the backbone)]

• [Interviewer note: Make sure that percentages are percentage by weight, not by value.]

• [Interviewer note: Have the US map visible to facilitate discussion.]

• [Interviewer note: We have five “regions”: New England, Mid Atlantic, “US West Coast & Alaska”, Other US, Imported].

Question 7: To which cities did your facility ship products in 2013? Approximately how much was shipped (by weight) to each city?