MRFE SS New 011714 Part A rev_Feb18

SUPPORTING STATEMENT

MARINE RECREATIONAL FISHING EXPENDITURE SURVEY

OMB CONTROL NO. 0648-XXXX

A. JUSTIFICATION

1. Explain the circumstances that make the collection of information necessary.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) manages recreational fisheries, under the authority of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act of 1976 as amended through 2006 (MSA). National Standard 2 under the MSA Sec 301.98-623 requires the use of the best scientific information available. Sec. 303, 109-479 specifies that a fishery impact statement for the plan or amendment must assess, specify and analyze the likely effects, including the social, conservation and economic impacts of conservation and management measures for participants in the fishery and fishing communities.

Marine recreational fishing is a popular pastime across the United States (U.S.) that generates significant economic impacts to both local economies and to the nation. The primary objectives of this data collection are to collect trip expenditures for an angler’s most recent marine recreational fishing trip and to collect annual expenditures on durable goods used for marine recreational fishing. Additional objectives include obtaining a profile of the most recent marine recreational fishing trip and collecting demographic information on marine recreational anglers. Statistical expansion of the sample expenditure data to the larger population requires trip profile and demographic data.

As specified in the MSA, NMFS is required to enumerate the economic impacts of the policies it implements on fishing participants and coastal communities. In order to routinely fulfill this mandate and in recognition of the economic importance of recreational fisheries, NOAA conducts nationwide angler expenditure surveys on marine recreational anglers. The survey data are then used to estimate the economic contributions of marine recreational fishing to a region’s economy. The proposed data collection will be the third time NOAA will conduct a nationwide survey to gather marine recreational fishing expenditures across the United States. The first nationwide survey was in 2006 and the second was in 2011. Prior to that year, three regional surveys were conducted starting in 1998 with the Northeast Region, the Southeast Region in 1999, and the Pacific Region in 2000.

The purpose of this data collection is to gather expenditure data nationwide from marine anglers in all coastal states and Puerto Rico. These data will be used to estimate total angler expenditures and the economic impacts of marine recreational fisheries in each of these states and nationwide. The population targeted by the economic survey will be marine recreational anglers, 16 years of age and older, who fish in these states.

2. Explain how, by whom, how frequently, and for what purpose the information will be used. If the information collected will be disseminated to the public or used to support information that will be disseminated to the public, then explain how the collection complies with all applicable Information Quality Guidelines.

The information will provide fisheries managers with quantitative information on expenditures made by recreational marine anglers on recreational fishing trips and related durable equipment. Fishery Management Council staff and staff from NOAA Fisheries may refer to the information periodically to understand the economic contributions of recreational anglers to the economy of their state and region, and with regard to future decisions concerning fisheries management, they may refer to the information to anticipate the economic impacts stemming from particular management decisions.

Expenditure and angler characteristics data are used to provide descriptive and behavioral information on marine recreational fishing participants; provide estimates of the value of important recreational fisheries; estimate the contribution of recreational fisheries to regional economies; and estimate the impact of fisheries regulations on regional economies.

The survey will collect information on 1) expenditures on the angler’s most recent fishing trip by fishing mode (shore, private boat, for-hire), 2) trip characteristics, 3) expenditures on durable equipment used for marine recreational fishing, and 4) angler demographic information. The survey will be conducted as three components. One component will focus on trip expenditures and the second component on annual durable good expenditures. The third component will focus on anglers fishing for highly migratory species (HMS) in the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico, because they tend to differ greatly in terms of their expenditures, target species, and fishing patterns than other anglers. Expenditure results will be calculated by state, resident status (resident or non-resident of the state where fishing), and fishing mode.

The economic questionnaire regarding trip expenditures will include questions such as location information of primary residence (state and zip code), date of most recent fishing trip, mode of fishing (e.g., shore, private boat, or for-hire vessel), target species, type of fishing gear used, location of trip, level of fishing effort, whether or not anglers were on an overnight trip, number of people fishing together, length of trip, and the primary purpose of the entire overnight trip (fishing, business, or personal), and whether or not they took time off work for the trip. Anglers will be asked to estimate their expenditures for their entire trip (not just for the days spent fishing). These include costs such as auto fuel, auto rental, public transportation (airfare, bus, taxi, subway, ferry), lodging, food (from grocery stores and from restaurants), bait, ice, boat fuel, guide fees, tips to crew, fish processing, and gifts or souvenirs. For the states where NOAA Fisheries or its partners conduct an access point angler-intercept survey (APAIS), a one-page economic add-on will be added to the existing catch survey questionnaire approved under OMB Control No. 0648-0659 and will be conducted in two month waves throughout the year. Respondents will also be asked to estimate the proportion of their total expenditure that was spent in the state or sub-state region of the fishing trip¹. In those states where the APAIS survey is not conducted (Texas, California, Oregon, Washington, and Alaska) angler license frames will be utilized to contact anglers via mail surveys. The mail survey of anglers will be conducted in two month waves to ensure a representative sample of trip expenditure data from throughout the year.

Questions related to the purchases of durable goods in the prior 12 months will focus on expenditures in the state of licensure. The survey will ask about expenditures on semi-durable goods such as fishing tackle and gear (fishing line, hooks, lures, etc.), rods and reels, fishing licenses, special clothing, publications (books, magazines, newspapers, etc.), camping equipment, binoculars, dues and contributions to fishing clubs, and processing or taxidermy costs, and expenses related to boats, vehicles, and second homes used for marine fishing. Boat-related expenditures include purchases of motorboats and accessories, non-motorized boats, boating electronics, mooring and storage, boat insurance, boat and trailer license and registration, and boat and trailer maintenance and repairs. Similar questions will be asked about vehicles and second homes used for marine recreational fishing in the past 12 months (purchase, repair and maintenance, insurance, and license/registration for vehicles). The final section of the mail survey will collect a set of socioeconomic and demographic variables, including gender, age, ethnicity, race, annual household income, education level, number of hours worked per week, and the years of marine fishing experience. The sample frame for the durable good expenditure questions will be angler license frames in all coastal states and the survey will be conducted by mail in two waves. Survey questionnaires will be similar in all states except for cover photos, state name, and reference to expenditures made in the specific state. Two exceptions are for California and for Florida, which will include an additional question on the percentage of durable good expenditures made in different regions of those states (i.e., Northern California and Southern California and East Florida (Atlantic Coast) and West Florida (Gulf Coast)). These two versions will also ask anglers to separate out the total number of days of marine fishing in each of the regions of those states, as opposed to a statewide total as in all other states.

To survey anglers fishing for highly migratory species, and who are not normally encountered by the APAIS, a sample of Atlantic HMS anglers will be taken from the HMS permit frame. These anglers will receive both the trip and durable questions on the same survey instrument via mail. The mail survey of Atlantic HMS anglers will be conducted in two month waves to ensure a representative sample of trip expenditure data from throughout the year.

It is anticipated that the information collected will be disseminated to the public or used to support publicly disseminated information as with the results of previous angler expenditure surveys. NOAA Fisheries will retain control over the information and safeguard it from improper access, modification, and destruction, consistent with NOAA standards for confidentiality, privacy, and electronic information. See response to Question 10 of this Supporting Statement for more information on confidentiality and privacy. The information collection is designed to yield data that meet all applicable information quality guidelines. Prior to dissemination, the information will be subjected to quality control measures and a pre-dissemination review pursuant to Section 515 of Public Law 106‑554.

3. Describe whether, and to what extent, the collection of information involves the use of automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological techniques or other forms of information technology.

The data collected via a mail survey will have limited use of automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological techniques and includes a mail merge to create personalized cover letters and mailing labels. The cover letter will involve the merging of the sampling database with prepared cover letters to create a personalized introduction to the survey. Survey responses for mail surveys will be automatically captured through optical character recognition (OCR), which will greatly increase the accuracy and efficiency of data collection.

The data collected via the angler intercept in-person survey has typically been recorded on paper but in the future may involve interviewers recording responses directly onto laptop computers.

4. Describe efforts to identify duplication.

Based on discussions with other NOAA economists, there is no duplication of effort within NOAA. This is the only nationwide angler expenditure survey conducted that gathers information on both trip and durable expenditures by marine recreational anglers. The Alaska Science Center has in the past collected similar information for anglers fishing in specific Alaskan regions, but there are no plans to continue that survey in Alaska in the next few years.

The Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) of the U.S. Department of the Interior conducts the National Survey of Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife-Associated Recreation (OMB Control No. 1018-0088) every 5 years. This survey collects similar information about angler expenditures within the context of additional recreation activities (such as freshwater fishing and hunting). That survey does not provide the same detail in terms of different expenditure categories as in the NOAA Fisheries survey and also does not provide the same spatial or temporal resolution regarding the most recent trip expenditures that allow for more detailed expenditure analysis needed by fisheries managers. The FWS survey also does not provide expenditures specific to anglers fishing for highly migratory species of fish, such as tuna, sharks, and billfish which are important internationally managed species.

5. If the collection of information involves small businesses or other small entities, describe the methods used to minimize burden.

Not applicable. Individuals or households are the respondents.

6. Describe the consequences to the Federal program or policy activities if the collection is not conducted or is conducted less frequently.

As stated above, NOAA Fisheries is required to collect economic data that can be used to describe the economic impacts and effects on local communities and participants from changes in fisheries management policies. It is vital to collect expenditure data via a survey of anglers because there are no other sources of this information for marine anglers. Without this type of information, fisheries managers will not be able to assess the economic impacts that result from changes in recreational fisheries policies and therefore, the effects on local and regional communities. NOAA Fisheries uses the results of the expenditure survey to provide annual estimates of the economic impacts of marine recreational fishing in its publication “Fisheries Economics of the United States”; therefore, without a recurring, periodic survey, NOAA Fisheries will be unable to update the annual estimates with recent data and will have to rely on data from previous surveys that will be out of date.

7. Explain any special circumstances that require the collection to be conducted in a manner inconsistent with OMB guidelines.

The collection will be conducted in a manner consistent with OMB Guidelines.

8. Provide a copy of the PRA Federal Register notice that solicited public comments on the information collection prior to this submission. Summarize the public comments received in response to that notice and describe the actions taken by the agency in response to those comments. Describe the efforts to consult with persons outside the agency to obtain their views on the availability of data, frequency of collection, the clarity of instructions and record keeping, disclosure, or reporting format (if any), and on the data elements to be recorded, disclosed, or reported.

A Federal Register Notice published on November 4, 2013 (78 FR 26273) solicited public comment.

One comment was received in response to the Federal Register Notice. The commenter wanted more information about the survey’s protocols and copies of the survey instruments. The requestor was provided a copy of the survey instruments prior to the closure of the comment period and was referred to the NOAA Fisheries website where he could download the report from the 2011 survey which followed very similar protocols. The requestor was satisfied with this response.

For the previous data collections (2006, 2011), meetings were held with industry stakeholders (e.g., recreational fishing group representatives) to discuss the objectives of the survey and the need to conduct the survey at regular intervals. In addition, numerous presentations about the survey objectives and results were given both during and after the previous surveys (in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013) at conferences of academic fisheries economists, regional fisheries commission meetings, and industry/constituent- based workshops.

9. Explain any decisions to provide payments or gifts to respondents, other than remuneration of contractors or grantees.

No payments or gifts are made.

10. Describe any assurance of confidentiality provided to respondents and the basis for assurance in statute, regulation, or agency policy.

As stated on the survey instruments, the data collected will be kept confidential as required by section 402(b) of the MSA and NOAA Administrative Order 216-100, Confidentiality of Fisheries Statistics, and will not be released for public use except in aggregate statistical form. If the individual survey data are requested, it will be provided without identification as to its source and with personal addresses and phone numbers remaining confidential.

11. Provide additional justification for any questions of a sensitive nature, such as sexual behavior and attitudes, religious beliefs, and other matters that are commonly considered private.

There are no questions of a sensitive nature.

12. Provide an estimate in hours of the burden of the collection of information.

The trip based expenditure portion of the survey that is based on the Access-Point Angler Intercept Survey sample will result in approximately 73,440 responses (102,000 respondents to the APAIS*72% response rate to the economic add-on) resulting in a total estimated annualized burden of 2,040 hours ((73,440/3)*5 minutes / 60 minutes = 2,040) ². The expected number of respondents is based on the results of previous angler intercept surveys in the regions the APAIS is conducted (Maine – Louisiana, Puerto Rico, Hawaii). The trip based expenditure mail survey for CA, OR, WA, TX, and AK is estimated to result in 9,942 responses based on an estimated number of anglers and with stratification by state, resident status, and type of trip (shore, private boat, for-hire), resulting in annualized burden hours of 442 hours ((9,942/3)*8 minutes/60 minutes = 442). We anticipate a response rate of approximately 40% for the trip expenditure survey done by mail, based on prior mail expenditure surveys.

For the durable good based component of the survey, conducted via mail survey, approximately 14,380 responses are expected for an annualized total of 1,198 hours ((14,380/3)*15 minutes/60 minutes). We anticipate a response rate of approximately 40% for the durable good mail component, based on prior mail expenditure surveys.

For the HMS specific component of the survey, we anticipate 1,112 respondents for a total burden of 124 hours ((1,112/3)*20 minutes/60 minutes). We anticipate a response rate of approximately 40% for the HMS mail component, based on prior mail surveys.

A total of 98,874 responses, annualized to 32,958, and 11,412 hours, annualized to 3,804, is anticipated across all parts of the survey.

An hourly rate of $22.77 is based on the average for all civilian workers from the January 2011 National Compensation Survey (http://www.bls.gov/ncs/ocs/sp/nctb1477.pdf). There are no other costs, resulting in a cost to respondents of approximately $86,617 for 3,804 hours.

13. Provide an estimate of the total annual cost burden to the respondents or record-keepers resulting from the collection (excluding the value of the burden hours in Question 12 above).

There are no start-up, capital, or maintenance costs associated with this collection. No new or specialized equipment is needed to respond to this collection. The forms are provided with postage-paid envelopes.

14. Provide estimates of annualized cost to the Federal government.

Based on the cost of conducting the 2011 survey, the estimated cost to the government is $330,000 annually for a contract for conducting angler intercept interviews, developing and cleaning the sample frame, printing and mailing, and entering the data from the survey. All analysis of the data and reporting, and any scientific publications will developed by the NMFS staff as part of their regular federal duties. One ZPIV staff member will work approximately 312 hours for a total annual cost of $20,820; one ZPIV staff member will work approximately 670 hours for a total cost of 42,280. Total staff time costs are $63,100.

Total contractor and staff costs are estimated to be $393,100 annually.

15. Explain the reasons for any program changes or adjustments.

This is a new submission. Previous angler expenditure surveys (2006 and 2011) were conducted under OMB Control No. 0648-0052.

16. For collections whose results will be published, outline the plans for tabulation and publication.

All results will be entered in a database using standard QA/QC procedures in survey research. Economists from NOAA Fisheries will analyze the data using standard software (e.g., SAS) and standard statistical procedures that are appropriate for survey data. Results from this collection may be used in scientific, management, technical or general informational publications, and would follow prescribed statistical tabulations and summary table formats.

Summary data will be developed and be included in various forms available on the Web page of the Office of Science and Technology, National Marine Fisheries Service. The Web site address is http://www.st.nmfs.noaa.gov/economics/fisheries/recreational/index. Data from this survey may support research and analyses to be presented at appropriate professional meetings and may be submitted for publication in appropriate economic or fisheries peer-reviewed journals. Summary marine recreational fishing expenditure and economic impact statistics produced using data from this survey are included in the annual publication by NMFS, Fisheries Economics of the United States (e.g. FEUS 2011), available at http://www.st.nmfs.noaa.gov/economics/publications/feus/fisheries_economics_2011. A full report of the survey results from the 2011 survey is available at http://www.st.nmfs.noaa.gov/economics/publications/marine-angler-expenditures/marine-angler-2011.

17. If seeking approval to not display the expiration date for OMB approval of the information collection, explain the reasons why display would be inappropriate.

Not Applicable.

18. Explain each exception to the certification statement.

Not Applicable.

1 Expenditures for states with multiple fisheries that can be delineated across geographic areas will be analyzed at a sub-state regional level, such as California and Florida

2 We divide by 3 because the survey will be conducted once every 3 years.

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