American Samoa Small Boat Fishery Cost-Earnings Survey

105307701

OMB Control No. 0648-0773 Expiration Date: xx/xx/20XX

American Samoa Small Boat Fishery Cost-Earnings Survey (2021)

Hello, please help us (NOAA) to better understand the importance of small boat fishing in American Samoa. We want to best represent American Samoa fishermen and we can only do that by hearing from as many fishermen as possible. Your details of fishing experiences and expenditures are important to ensure accurate results. While your response is voluntary, we hope that you can help us in this research.

We appreciate the confidential nature of the data being collected by this survey. NMFS will handle individual survey data as confidential business information and a form of protected personal information and will maintain the confidentiality of the information consistent with legal authorities available to it, including but not limited to the Privacy Act (5 U.S.C. Section 552a) and the Trade Secrets Act (18 U.S.C. Section 1905). NMFS will protect individual survey data from public disclosure to the extent permitted by law and it has instituted procedures to provide that protection.

Date of Survey _______________ Fisherman’s name _________________ Surveyer (staff) ____________________

SECTION A. YOUR FISHING EXPERIENCES

Different fishermen in American Samoa had different fishing experiences over 2020. Please tell us about yours.

1. Are you …

 Boat owner (but not going out for fishing)

 Owner operator

 Captain (not boat owner)

 Crew

2. What type of fishing trips did you take in 2020?

 I went fishing using a boat only	Go to Q3
 I went fishing sometimes using a boat and sometimes not using a boat	Go to Q3
 I went fishing not using a boat	Go to Q5

3. Approximately how many BOAT fishing trips did you take in 2020? ___________________trips

(If not sure, please provide answer below):

 0

 Fewer than 12 trips (once every month or less)

 12-24 trips (once every other week)

 25-49 trips (once a week)

 50-99 trips (once or twice a week)

 100-200 trips (two or three times a week) or more

4. We understand you may use multiple gears in a trip, please estimate in 2020, what percent of your BOAT fishing trips were:

(please check one for each gear type)

	None (0%)	Very little (1%-9%)	Some (10%-39%)	About half (40%-59%)	Most (60%-89%)	Almost all (90%-100%)
Spearfishing						
Deepwater bottomfish						
Nearshore/shallow bottomfish						
Trolling						
Nets						
Other gear, please specify:						

5. Approximately how many NON-BOAT fishing (shoreline) trips did you take in 2020?

 0

 Fewer than 12 trips (once every month or less)

 12-24 trips (once every other week)

 25-49 trips (once a week)

 50-99 trips (once or twice a week)

 100-200 trips (two or three times a week) or more

6. In 2020, what percent of your NON-BOAT fishing (shoreline) trips were: (please check one for each gear type)

	None (0%)	Very little (1%-9%)	Some (10%-39%)	About half (40%-59%)	Most (60%-89%)	Almost all (90%-100%)
Rod and reel (pole)						
Spearfishing						
Cast/throw net						
Other gear, please specify:						
_____________________

7. In 2020, what percent of your fishing time occurred in local and federal jurisdiction?

	None (0%)	Very little (1%-9%)	Some (10%-39%)	About half (40%-59%)	Most (60%-89%)	Almost all (90%-100%)
Local waters (0-3 miles)						
Federal waters (3 miles offshore)						

8. How many people in total, including yourself, are on board for an average fishing trip? _______________ people

9. In 2020, approximately how many total pounds of pelagic fish (such as tunas, wahoo, mahimahi, etc.) did you catch?

 None	 101 - 500 pounds
 1 - 50 pounds	 501 - 1000 pounds
 51 - 100 pounds	 More than 1000 pounds	About how much? _________ pounds

10. In 2020, approximately how many total pounds of deepwater bottomfish (such as red snapper, black trevally, lunartail

grouper, etc.) did you catch?

 None	 101 - 500 pounds
 1 - 50 pounds	 501 - 1000 pounds
 51 - 100 pounds	 More than 1000 pounds	About how much? _________ pounds

11. In 2020, approximately how many total pounds of nearshore/shallow bottomfish (such as redgill emperor, blueline snapper,

jobfish, etc.) did you catch?

 None	 101 - 500 pounds
 1 - 50 pounds	 501 - 1000 pounds
 51 - 100 pounds	 More than 1000 pounds	About how much? _________ pounds

12. In 2020, approximately how many total pounds of reef fish (such as parrotfishes (fuga), surgeonfishes (alogo), unicomfishes

(ume), etc.) did you catch?

 None	 101 - 500 pounds
 1 - 50 pounds	 501 - 1000 pounds
 51 - 100 pounds	 More than 1000 pounds	About how much? _________ pounds

13. In 2020, what percent of your fishing trips were sampled by the biosampling program?

None (0%)	Very little (1%-9%)	Some (10%-39%)	About half (40%-59%)	Most (60%-89%)	Almost all (90%-100%)
					

SECTION B. MARKET PARTICIPATION

14. What is your primary motivation for fishing? (if multiple applies to you, put 1 as primary, 2 as secondary, and 3 as tertiary)

 Purely Recreational (I fished only for sport or pleasure)

 Recreational Expense (I fished primarily for sport or pleasure, but I also sell a few fish to cover trip expenses)

 Subsistence (I fish primarily to catch fish to feed myself/my family/my community)

 Cultural (I enjoy fishing, but I am even more concerned about keeping traditional practices alive, such as using traditional

fishing gear)

 Part-time Commercial (Fishing pays some of my bills, but I still have to work at another job)

 Full-time Commercial (Fishing brings in most or all of the money I make in a year)

 Other, please specify:_______________________________________________

15. In 2020, how was catch distributed among fishermen in a fishing trip? (please check one and estimate percentage)

 I kept all the fish I caught (for sale/given away/self-consumption)

 I kept/received __________ % of total fish caught

 I kept/received __________ % of trip revenue

 Don’t know/different every time

 Other, please describe:__________________________________

16. In 2020, what percent of your catch was:

	None (0%)	Very little (1%-9%)	Some (10%-39%)	About half (40%-59%)	Most (60%-89%)	Almost all (90%-100%)
Consumed at home						
Given away						
Caught and released						
Sold						

17. In 2020, did you ever sell any of the fish you caught?

 Yes Q18

 No Q22

If you sold any of your fish…

18. In 2020, where did you sell your fish?

	 Fagatogo Market Place
	 Restaurants/stores
	 Roadside/farmers’ market
	 Friends/neighbors/coworkers
 Other, please specify		__________________________

If you sold any of your fish…

19. In 2020, what was the approximate value of all the fish you sold?

 $1 - $100	 $1,001 - $2,000	 $10,001 - $20,000
 $101 - $500	 $2,001 - $5,000	 $20,001 - $50,000
 $501 - $1,000	 $5,001 - $10,000	 More than $50,000, specify $_____________________

If you sold any of your fish…

20. In 2020, what percent of the value of fish sold (question 19) came from the sale of pelagic fish, deepwater bottomfish,

nearshore/shallow bottomfish, and reef fish?

	None (0%)	Very little (1%-9%)	Some (10%-39%)	About half (40%-59%)	Most (60%-89%)	Almost all (90%-100%)
Pelagic fish						
Deepwater bottomfish						
Nearshore/shallow bottomfish						
Reef fish						

If you sold any of your fish…

21. In 2020, after expenses, what percent of your personal income came from the sale of fish?

None (0%)	Very little (1%-9%)	Some (10%-39%)	About half (40%-59%)	Most (60%-89%)	Almost all (90%-100%)
					

SECTION C. YOUR VESSEL

In this section, we want to better understand the vessel and gear characteristics of boat based fishery in American Samoa.

22. Do you own the boat that you fish on?

 Yes Go to Question 23

 No Go to Question 31

If you own the boat that you fish on…

23. In 2020, what percent of time did other people (other than family members) use the boat without you?

None (0%)	Very little (1%-9%)	Some (10%-39%)	About half (40%-59%)	Most (60%-89%)	Almost all (90%-100%)
					

24. What is the length of your boat? _______________ feet

25. What is the total horsepower? _______________hp

26. In what year was the boat built? _______________

27. In what year did you purchase the boat you fish on? _______________

(If homebuilt – when did you complete it?)

28. How much did you pay to purchase the boat you fish on? $________________

(If homebuilt – how much did it cost to build it?)

29. What is the approximate market value of your boat?

(considering age and current condition and including motor(s) and trailer) $____________________

30. Please enter the year in which you made any major improvement to you vessel _________________

SECTION D. YOUR FISHING TRIP COSTS

We now want to understand your per trip costs for fishing.

Please remember that all your answers are strictly confidential.

31. In 2020, what was the primary gear usage for your most common trip (please check one)?

 Spearfishing	 Trolling
 Deepwater bottomfish	 Nets
 Nearshore/shallow bottomfish	 Other gear, specify ____________________

31a. On average per trip, how much money did you spend on your most common (question 31) gear type trip?

Type of Expenditure	Trip Expenditure	Amount
Boat fuel	$_____________________________	___________gallons
Truck fuel (round-trip)	$_____________________________	___________gallons
Oil	$_____________________________
Ice	$_____________________________	___________lbs
Bait	$_____________________________	___________case(s)
Food and beverage	$_____________________________
Daily maintenance and repair	$_____________________________
Gear lost	$_____________________________
Other, please specify: _________________________	$_____________________________

31b. Is the cost in Q31a the total trip costs for all fishermen in a trip, or just the portion you paid?

 Total costs for all fishermen in a trip

 Only the portion I paid, and it is approximately _________ % of the total trip costs

32. In 2020, what was your second most common gear usage (please check one)?

 Spearfishing	 Trolling
 Deepwater bottomfish	 Nets
 Nearshore/shallow bottomfish	 Other gear, specify ____________________

32a. On average per trip, how much money did you spend on your second most common (question 32) gear type trip?

Type of Expenditure	Trip Expenditure	Amount
Boat fuel	$_____________________________	___________gallons
Truck fuel (round-trip)	$_____________________________	___________gallons
Oil	$_____________________________
Ice	$_____________________________	___________lbs
Bait	$_____________________________	___________case(s)
Food and beverage	$_____________________________
Daily maintenance and repair	$_____________________________
Gear lost	$_____________________________
Other, please specify: _________________________	$_____________________________

32b. Is the cost in Q32a the total trip costs for all fishermen in a trip, or just the portion you paid?

 Total costs for all fishermen in a trip

 Only the portion I paid, and it is approximately _________ % of the total trip costs

SECTION E. 2020 FISHING EXPENDITURES (for boat owner only)

In an effort to better understand your economic contribution to American Samoa’s economy, we would like to ask about your fishing-related expenditures in 2020. In the table below please indicate how much, if any, was spent on the following items during 2020.

Enter “0” if you did not have any expenses in a category. Please do not leave blank.

Remember that all your answers are strictly confidential.

33. Cost Category 2020 Expenditure (dollars)
Boat insurance ……………………………………………………..	$____________________	per month per year
Loan payments ..……………………………………………………	$_____________________	per month per year
Mooring fees ………………………………………………………...	$_____________________	per month per year
Gear replacement/repair from wear and tear (lines, lures, gaffs, rods, electric/hydraulic reels, spears, wetsuits, coolers, safety equipment, etc.) …………………………	$_____________________
Annual boat and trailer repair, maintenance, and improvements (exclude daily expenses).................................	$_____________________
Fees (registration for truck and trailer, safety, dry dock fees, etc.) ….………………………………………………………………..	$_____________________
Financial service……..…………………………………………......	$____________________
Other, please specify: ..…………………………………………... _________________________	$_____________________

SECTION F. ABOUT YOU

Different people have different fishing experiences and different motivations for fishing.

The following questions help us to better understand these differences.

34. What is your gender?

 Male

 Female

35. What is your age?

 Less than 25 years	 45 to 54 years
 25 to 34 years	 55 to 64 years
 35 to 44 years	 More than 64 years

36. What village do you live in? _____________________

37. Are you Hispanic or Latino?

 Yes, Hispanic or Latino

 No, not Hispanic or Latino

38. How would you describe your race? (check all that apply)

 Samoan	 Black or African American
 American Indian or Alaska Native	 Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
 Asian	 White

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

 Less than 9th grade	 Associates degree or technical school
 Some high school (no diploma)	 College graduate (bachelor degree)
 High school graduate (including GED)	 Advanced, professional, or doctoral degree
 Some college (no degree)

40. What was your total household income, before taxes, in 2020, including fishing income?

 Less than $10,000	 $50,000 to $99,999
 $10,000 to $24,999	 $100,000 to $249,999
 $25,000 to $49,999	 $250,000 or more

SECTION G. WHAT DO YOU THINK?

41. Given your experience, do you think in the next year more people will be going … (please check one for each)

Pelagic Fishing	Deepwater Bottomfish Fishing	Nearshore/Shallow Bottomfish Fishing	Reef Fishing
 Yes	 Yes	 Yes	 Yes
 No	 No	 No	 No

42. Why do you feel this way? _____________________________________________________________________________

43. What are the top three (3) species you target …

	1	2	3
To sell?
To keep for self-consumption?
To give away?

44. Please state how much you agree or disagree with the following statements:

	Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
As someone who fishes I am respected by the community					
Fishing is an important part of who I am					
Fishing is an important part of my culture					

45. How important are the following for managing fisheries in American Samoa?

	Not at all Important	Slightly Important	Moderately Important	Very Important	Extremely Important
Rules are followed and enforced					
My voice is included in decision making					
Managers know how many fish there are					
Managers know how healthy the reef / other habitats are					
Managers know about the fisher(men) and fishing community (income, culture, etc.)					
Managers build or maintain fisheries infrastructure (boat ramps, harbors, etc.)					
Other, please specify:					

46. Please state how much you agree or disagree that following management is being done well:

	Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
Rules are followed and enforced					
My voice is included in decision making					
Managers know how many fish there are					
Managers know how healthy the reef / other habitats are					
Managers know about the fisher(men) and fishing community (income, culture, etc.)					
Managers build or maintain fisheries infrastructure (boat ramps, harbors, etc.)					
Other, please specify:					

47. Do you have any suggestions for how American Samoa’s fisheries should be managed or topics that you feel need further

study?

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

48. How have you changed your fishing activities due to COVID-19?

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

49. What are the main reasons you made those changes?

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Thank you for participating in this survey.

The information you have provided will improve our understanding of the importance of fishing in American Samoa.

Would you like to receive a copy of the final report for this study? (all personal information will be kept strictly confidential)

 Yes	Name: _______________________________ Address: _________________________________________________________
 No	Email address:____________________________________

May we contact you if we have any questions about your survey responses?

 Yes	Phone: _________________________ Best time to reach you: ___________________________________
 No	(your phone number will be kept strictly confidential)

Paperwork Reduction Act Statement. NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is collecting this economic information to improve its ability to conduct the analyses required by the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA) and other applicable law. NMFS and the Regional Fishery Management Councils will use this information to monitor, explain and predict changes in the economic performance and impacts of commercial fisheries. Among other things, this will enable fisheries managers and the public to more fully consider the economic effects of proposed and existing regulations for federally managed fisheries.

A Federal agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, nor shall a person be subject to a penalty for failure to comply with an information collection subject to the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 unless the information collection has a currently valid OMB Control Number. The approved OMB Control Number for this information collection is 0648-0773 and its expiration data is XX/XX/2023. Without this approval, we could not conduct this information collection. Public reporting for this information collection is estimated to be approximately 45 minutes per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the information collection. All responses to this information collection are voluntary. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this information collection, including suggestions for reducing this burden to the NOAA Fisheries at: 1845 Wasp Blvd., Building 176, Honolulu, HI 96818, Attn: Justin Hospital, and [email protected] if desired.