Telephone / Mail / E-Mail Surveys

NARFS Telephone interview script

Intro 1: Hello, may I please speak with [Respondent]?

01 Yes, respondent available/transferring

02 No, respondent unavailable: Skip to Exit 1

03 Don’t know/refused: (Schedule callback)

Exit 1: Thanks, I’ll call back later. When would be a good time to reach [Respondent]? (Schedule callback)

Intro 2: Hi [Respondent]. My name is _________________. I’m calling on behalf of NOAA Fisheries and am hoping I can take two minutes of your time to ask you a few questions about recreational fishing. Your contact information was randomly drawn from a list of people who were licensed or registered to recreational saltwater fish in 2018 in Maine, New Hampshire, or Massachusetts. Your responses to these questions will be kept completely confidential.

[If asked: NOAA stands for National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]

[Q: What is NOAA Fisheries? A: NOAA Fisheries is a federal agency responsible for the stewardship of the nation’s living resources and their habitat.]

[Q: Is this interview confidential? A: This interview is completely confidential. Your name will never be linked to your responses in any way.]

Intro 3: The first few questions are about your recent recreational fishing experiences.

1. Have you gone recreational fishing for Atlantic cod, haddock, or pollock in the past five years?

01 Yes

02 No: Skip to Ending 1

99 Don’t know/refused: Skip to Ending 1

2. On how many recreational fishing trips did you catch or target Atlantic cod or haddock during 2018?

01 [Enter number of trips]

00 No trips

99 Don’t know/refused

3. How likely or unlikely are you to go recreational fishing for Atlantic cod or haddock during the next 12 months?

01 Very likely

02 Somewhat likely

03 Somewhat unlikely

04 Very unlikely

99 Don’t know/refused

Intro 4: So that we can see how your fishing activities compare with those of other people in the region, I’d like to ask you two demographic questions. Again, please remember all your answers are kept completely confidential.

4. In what year were you born?

01 [Record year]

99 Don’t know/refused

5. Which of the following categories best describes your household’s total annual income before taxes in 2018?

01 Less than $20,000

02 20 to under $40,000

03 40 to under $60,000

04 60 to under $80,000

05 80 to under $100,000

06 100 to under $150,000

07 150 to under $200,000

10 $200,000 or more

99 Don’t know/refused

[If respondent refuses: Your answers are completely confidential and will only be used for classification purposes. You will never be identified with your response.]

► GO TO Ending 2

Ending 1: That concludes the survey, thank you very much for your help today.

Ending 2: Thank you very much for your help today. This call is part of a larger research project and I’d like to send you a short follow-up survey if I could confirm your contact information we have on file.

Name: ________________________________________

Street Address: _________________________________

City:____________________ State:_______ Zip: ______

Phone: ________________________________________Email:________________________________________

[If respondent refuses to give address or email: Very few anglers were selected for this survey, so your help is critical to its success. The survey you receive should take no more than 15 minutes to complete, and the data we collect will be directly incorporated into the policymaking process. We’d greatly appreciate your help.]

Great! Would you prefer us to send you a web or paper version of the follow-up survey?

If web preferred and email address confirmed: Ok, we’ll send you an email containing a link to the web survey now.

If mail preferred and/or email address unconfirmed: Ok, you’ll be receiving a short survey in the mail in the next few weeks.

Thanks again for your help today!