Cover Letter

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Southeast Fisheries Science Center

75 Virginia Beach Dr.

Miami, Florida 33149

Month DD, 2025

«PrimaryMailingRecipient»

«Street_Address»

«City», «State» «Zipcode»

Dear Permit Owner:

The NOAA Fisheries Service is working to improve its ability to determine the economic effects of regulations and other factors that impact the Gulf of America and South Atlantic shrimp fisheries. Therefore, we conduct the Annual Economic Survey of Federal Gulf and South Atlantic Shrimp Permit Holders. Each year we randomly select about a third of permitted vessels in order to collect data about operating expenses and the costs of owning and maintaining shrimp vessels. In the interest of fairness and data quality, and in accordance with federal regulations, all selected individuals are required to complete and submit this survey.

You have been randomly selected to participate in this year’s survey. Enclosed is a form asking about expenditures you made in 2024 for your vessel “«VesselName»” with the registration number «VESID». You must complete and submit this survey in order to retain your permit eligibility.

Please complete the enclosed survey form and return it to us by Month DD, 20XX. A pre-addressed, postage-paid envelope is enclosed. All information you supply is confidential and will be combined with information from other fishermen to present an overall view of the economic status of the fisheries and the problems they face. If you wish to receive the survey results once the data have been analyzed, please make note of this anywhere on the survey.

By accurately completing this survey, you will ensure that management decisions are based on the best possible information about the economic effects of regulations on fishermen. Please print all requested information clearly. A form with incomplete or unclear information cannot be entered into the database and will be returned for clarification. If you have any questions or require help filling out the survey, please contact us at (305) 361-4263.

Thank you very much for your cooperation with this data collection and good luck this shrimping season.

Sincerely yours,

Felix Martin

Fishery Management Specialist