Observer Retention Survey

O bserver Retention Survey

United State Department of Commerce National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Marine Fisheries Service National Observer Program 1315 East-West Hwy, Silver Spring, MD 20910

This survey is designed to investigate factors that contribute to observer retention. The collection of information in turn will improve regional observer programs. The survey is voluntary, but by completing it, you will help us understand how national and regional observer policies and practices affect your experience and provide you with an opportunity to affect the programs in areas where you work. Please respond to this survey if you are a current or former observer in a U.S. fishery.

Your responses will be anonymous. We estimate it will take approximately 20 minutes to respond to the survey. Please take the survey once. Thank you for your cooperation.

Please indicate if you have observed in a U.S. fishery? ☐ Yes (Start the survey) ☐ No (End the survey)

1. What is your gender?

☐ Male ☐ Female

2. What is your age (years)?

☐ Less than 20 ☐ 20 – 29 ☐ 30 – 39 ☐ 40 – 49 ☐ 50 – 59 ☐ 60 or More

3. What level of education did you have when you became an observer?

☐ High school or less ☐ Associate’s degree ☐ Bachelor’s degree ☐ Master’s degree ☐ Doctorate or higher

4. What is the highest level of education you have completed?

☐ High school or less ☐ Associate’s degree ☐ Bachelor’s degree ☐ Master’s degree ☐ Doctorate or higher

5. When did you first become an observer? Year _______

6. Please specify the month, if 2015 or later _______

7. When did you stop being an observer? ☐ Currently active or Year _______

8. Please specify the month, if 2015 or later _______

9. How many sea days have you observed in total?

☐ Less than 10 ☐ 10 – 30 ☐ 31 – 90 ☐ 91 – 270 ☐ 271 – 900 ☐ More than 900

10. Please indicate each period of continuous work, where observing was your primary form of employment? (Please limit your responses to the 5 most recent periods)

Region	Program Type	Start/Leave	Region	Program Type	Start/Leave
North Pacific	Groundfish and halibut (full coverage)		Northeast	NEFOP observer
	Groundfish and halibut (partial coverage)			At-sea monitor
	Not listed above			Both NMFS and ASM
West Coast	Groundfish non-catch share			Industry funded scallop
	Groundfish catch share			Not listed above
	California gillnet fisheries		Southeast	Pelagic longline
	California longline fishery			Shark bottom longline
	Not listed above			Gillnets
Pacific Islands	Hawaii pelagic longline			Reef fish
	Samoa longline fisheries			Shrimp trawl
	Not listed above			Not listed above

11. How long did you intend to work as an observer when you first decided to become an observer?

☐ A few months ☐ One year ☐ Two years ☐ Between two and five years ☐ More than five years ☐ Not decided at that time

12. Why did you want to become an observer? (Choose all that apply)

☐ Contact with the ocean ☐ Seasonal work schedule ☐ Fill an education/employment gap ☐ Protect environment ☐ Good pay ☐ Travel opportunity ☐ Field work ☐ Adventure ☐ Advancement in my field ☐ Other: _____________

For question 13 to 20, please respond based on your most recent experience as an observer

13. What type of contract did you have with your employer during your most recent observer experience?

☐ Trip based ☐ Less than 3 months ☐ 3 to 6 months ☐ 7 to 11 months ☐ Yearly or longer ☐ No contract ☐ Other: _________

14. How many sea-days do/did you work during a typical month?

☐ 1 – 5 ☐ 6 – 10 ☐ 11 – 15 ☐ 16 – 20 ☐ 21 – 25 ☐ More than 25

15. Please indicate your level of satisfaction concerning the number of sea days you worked.

☐ Too many days ☐ More than expected ☐ About right ☐ Less than expected ☐ Too few days

16. How often are/were trips cancelled?

☐ Never ☐ less than 5% ☐ 6% – 20% ☐ 21% – 50% ☐ 51% – 80% ☐ More than 80%

17. How far in advance are/were you usually notified before being deployed on a trip?

☐ Less than 6 hours ☐ 6 – 12 hours ☐ 12 – 24 hours ☐ 24 – 48 hours ☐48 – 72 hours ☐ 72 hours or longer

18. How satisfied are you with each of the following aspects of the observer program?

	Type	Very dissatisfied	Dissatisfied	Neutral	Satisfied	Very satisfied	Not applicable
(1)	Tools and technical support	☐	☐	☐	☐	☐	☐
(2)	Debriefing	☐	☐	☐	☐	☐	☐
(3)	Outreach and conferences	☐	☐	☐	☐	☐	☐
(4)	Resolving observer-reported incidents (e.g., harassment, safety, etc.)	☐	☐	☐	☐	☐	☐
(5)	Dealing with staff from NMFS/ Observer Program office	☐	☐	☐	☐	☐	☐

19. How satisfied are you with each of the following aspects of your employer/provider company?

	Type	Very dissatisfied	Dissatisfied	Neutral	Satisfied	Very satisfied	Not applicable
(1)	Wage	☐	☐	☐	☐	☐	☐
(2)	Health insurance	☐	☐	☐	☐	☐	☐
(3)	Advance notice of upcoming trip	☐	☐	☐	☐	☐	☐
(4)	Advance notice of trip cancellation	☐	☐	☐	☐	☐	☐
(5)	Types of contracts available	☐	☐	☐	☐	☐	☐
(6)	Emergency response	☐	☐	☐	☐	☐	☐
(7)	Technical support	☐	☐	☐	☐	☐	☐
(8)	General support	☐	☐	☐	☐	☐	☐
(9)	Ease of switching employer/provider company	☐	☐	☐	☐	☐	☐
(10)	Resolving observer-reported incidents (e.g., harassment, safety, etc.)	☐	☐	☐	☐	☐	☐

20. How satisfied are you with each of the following aspects of captain/crew that you have worked with?

	Type	Very dissatisfied	Dissatisfied	Neutral	Satisfied	Very satisfied	Not applicable
(1)	Setting up deployment details (e.g., phone call, text, email, etc.)	☐	☐	☐	☐	☐	☐
(2)	Cooperation with data collection activities	☐	☐	☐	☐	☐	☐
(3)	Verbal interactions	☐	☐	☐	☐	☐	☐
(4)	Physical interactions	☐	☐	☐	☐	☐	☐
(5)	Safety	☐	☐	☐	☐	☐	☐
(6)	Condition of accommodations (e.g., sleeping area, bathroom)	☐	☐	☐	☐	☐	☐

For question 21 to 32, please respond based on your entire experience as an observer

21. Have you experienced harassment during your deployment?

☐ Yes (If yes, continue to Q22) ☐No (If no, continue to Q27)

22. Did you report the incident(s) of harassment?

☐ Yes (If yes, continue to Q23 - 25) ☐No (If no, continue to Q26)

23. Who did you directly report the incident to? (Please mark all that apply)

☐ Employer ☐ NMFS Observer Program ☐ NMFS OLE ☐ Coast Guard ☐ Other

24. Were you kept informed until there was a resolution to your report?

☐ Yes ☐ No

25. How satisfied are you with the handling of your report?

☐ Very dissatisfied ☐ Dissatisfied ☐ Neutral ☐ Satisfied ☐ Very satisfied

26. Why didn’t you report the incident? (Please mark all that apply)

☐ Worried about retaliation or damage to my professional reputation ☐ Resolved situation at sea myself

☐ Just wanted to put the experience behind me and not relive it ☐ Didn't think NMFS would do anything about it ☐Upon return, the situation didn't seem as bad as I had originally thought   ☐ Other: _________

27. What is your current job?

☐ Fishing industry ☐ Observer ☐ Observer provider company ☐ NMFS (observer program) ☐ NMFS (other than observer program) ☐NOAA NOS ☐Other NOAA office ☐ DOI ☐ DOE ☐ USGS ☐ BOEM ☐State agency ☐Other U.S. Government ☐NGOs ☐International agency ☐University/College ☐Others: ________

28. How interested are you in continuing to work in a marine related field, after having worked as an observer?

☐ Less ☐ Same ☐ More ☐ Not sure

29. Do you think being an observer is helpful for advancing a career in marine related field?

☐ Very useless ☐ Useless ☐ Neutral ☐ Helpful ☐ Very helpful

30. Do you think fishery community value the contribution of observers?

☐ Strongly unvalued ☐ Unvalued ☐ Neutral ☐ Valued ☐ Strongly valued

31. What is your attitude towards the use of technology for data collection? (e.g., use of tablets, laptops, electronic scales)

☐ Very unsupportive ☐ Unsupportive ☐ Neutral ☐ Supportive ☐ Very supportive

32. What is your attitude towards the use of electronic monitoring? (e.g., the use of camera, computer vision)

☐ Very unsupportive ☐ Unsupportive ☐ Neutral ☐ Supportive ☐ Very supportive

International / Regional Questions (North Pacific, Northeast, West coast)

33. Were you ever deployed in a foreign fishery?

☐ Yes (If yes, continue to Q34 –36) ☐ No (If no, continue to Q37)

34. What organization(s) have you worked with? (Please mark all that apply)

☐ IATTC – Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission ☐ IOTC – Indian Ocean Tuna Commission

☐ ICCAT – International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas ☐ SPTT – South Pacific Tuna Treaty

☐ NPFC – North Pacific Fisheries Commission ☐ FFA – Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency

☐ WCPFC – Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission ☐ IPHC – International Pacific Halibut Commission

☐ CCAMLR – Convention for Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources ☐ Other: _________________

35. What kind of vessel(s) did you work with? (Please mark all that apply)

☐ Commercial fishing vessel ☐ Transshipment vessel ☐ Other: ________________

36. For each of the following categories as it relates to your experience in an international fishery, please indicate whether you prefer working in a foreign or U.S. fishery.

Preference	Foreign fishery	U.S. fishery	No preference	Not applicable
Interaction with Captain/Crew
Safety (emergency response, vessel equipment etc.)
Communication
Length of trip
Working conditions
Pay
Travel to deployment
Availability of deployment
Health concerns (bedbug, accommodation etc.)

37. What are the major reasons you didn’t observe in a foreign fishery? (Check all that apply)

☐ Deployment unavailable ☐ Safety ☐ Worries about language and communication ☐ Low pay ☐ Length of trip ☐ Far away from home ☐ Others: _________

38. Were you an observer in the North Pacific region after 1999?

☐ Yes (If yes, continue to Q39-41) ☐ No (If no, continue to Q42)

39. How satisfied are you with each type of deployments you participate in?

	Type	Very dissatisfied	Dissatisfied	Neutral	Satisfied	Very satisfied	Not applicable
(1)	Fixed gear Catch-Processor (CP)	☐	☐	☐	☐	☐	☐
(2)	Mothership	☐	☐	☐	☐	☐	☐
(3)	Trawl CP	☐	☐	☐	☐	☐	☐
(4)	Trawl non-CP	☐	☐	☐	☐	☐	☐
(5)	Processor	☐	☐	☐	☐	☐	☐
(6)	Catcher vessel (CV)	☐	☐	☐	☐	☐	☐
(7)	Pot vessel	☐	☐	☐	☐	☐	☐
(8)	Longline CP	☐	☐	☐	☐	☐	☐
(9)	Longline CV	☐	☐	☐	☐	☐	☐

40. How satisfied are/were you with the variety of deployment opportunities?

☐ Very dissatisfied ☐ Dissatisfied ☐ Neutral ☐ Satisfied ☐ Very satisfied

41. Please indicate your most recent certification level in the North Pacific observer program.

☐ 3-week certification (If checked, continue to Q42 – 43) ☐ Lead Level 2 (If checked, continue to Q44 – 45)

☐ Not applicable (If checked, continue to Q46)

42. Please indicate your interest for pursuing a higher level of observer certification.

☐ Very uninterested ☐ Uninterested ☐ Neutral ☐ Interested ☐ Very interested

43. Why do you think there may be a shortage of Lead level 2 observers? (Please mark all that apply)

☐Lead level 2 is not prestigious ☐ Too much responsibility ☐ Difficult to fulfill performance requirement

☐ Deployments are not flexible ☐ Too much work ☐ Few opportunities to fulfill fixed gear requirement

☐ Safety ☐ Low salary ☐I am unsure ☐Others: ____________

44. Please indicate your level of satisfaction with being a Lead Level 2 observer

☐ Very dissatisfied ☐ Dissatisfied ☐ Neutral ☐ Satisfied ☐ Very satisfied

45. Why do you think there may be a shortage of Lead level 2 observers? (Please mark all that apply)

☐Lead level 2 is not prestigious ☐ Too much responsibility ☐ Difficult to fulfill performance requirement

☐ Deployments are not flexible ☐ Too much work ☐ Few opportunities to fulfill fixed gear requirement

☐ Safety ☐ Low salary ☐I am unsure ☐Others: ____________

46. Did you observe in the Northeast Region after 2000?

☐ Yes (If yes, continue to Q47) ☐ No (If no, continue to Q48)

47. How satisfied are you with each type of deployments that you have participated in?

	Type	Very dissatisfied	Dissatisfied	Neutral	Satisfied	Very satisfied	Not applicable
(1)	Northeast Fisheries Observer Program (NEFOP)	☐	☐	☐	☐	☐	☐
(2)	At-Sea Monitoring Program	☐	☐	☐	☐	☐	☐
(3)	Industry-Funded Scallop Program	☐	☐	☐	☐	☐	☐

48. Did you observe in the West Coast Region after 2011?

☐ Yes (If yes, continue to Q49) ☐ No (If no, continue to Q50)

49. How satisfied are you with each type of deployments you participate in?

	Type	Very dissatisfied	Dissatisfied	Neutral	Satisfied	Very satisfied	Not applicable
(1)	Catch-share Program	☐	☐	☐	☐	☐	☐
(2)	Non catch-share Program	☐	☐	☐	☐	☐	☐

50. If you have any comments, suggestions or statements for the National Observer Program, please write them in the following space. All information in this survey should be anonymous.

51. Are you interested in sharing or giving additional comments to your observing experience with National Observer Program by a follow-up interview?

☐ Yes (If yes, continue to Q52 in a separate link to provide contact information) ☐ No (If no, end of the survey)

*52. Please leave your name and email or phone number in the following space. Your contact information will be not linked with your response to the survey. You may be contacted by National Observer Program by the method you provided.

______________________________________

We greatly appreciate your efforts and contributions to the management and conservation of marine resources. Safe travels.

Thank you!

Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 20 minutes per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments or any other suggestions for this burden to Dr. Yuntao Wang and Jane DiCosimo, NOAA NMFS, 1315 East-West Hwy., Silver Spring, MD 20910.

This is a voluntary survey, and responses are anonymous as required by section 402(b) of the Magnuson Stevens Act and NOAA Administrative Order 216-100, Confidentiality of Fisheries Statistics, and will not be released for public use except without identification as to its source. Notwithstanding any other provisions of the law, no person is required to respond to, nor shall any person be subjected to a penalty for failure to comply with, a collection of information subject to the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act, unless that collection of information displays a currently valid OMB Control Number.