APAIS Procedures

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Chapter 4 – APAIS Assignment

Figure 4.1: Survey Introduction and Eligibility Determination
SURVEY INTRODUCTION and DETERMINATION OF ELIGIBILITY
To be eligible for an interview, an angler must:

▪
▪

Be a saltwater recreational angler who intended to catch finfish;

▪

Have fished in U.S. waters.

Have completed his/her fishing trip, defined as one waking day of fishing;

Hello, my name is _________ and I represent (state agency). We are interviewing marine
recreational anglers for a study sponsored by the National Marine Fisheries Service of the U.S.
Department of Commerce. I’d like to ask you a few questions about your fishing.
1. Was the primary purpose of your trip today for recreation; that is for fun and relaxation, or was
it to provide income either from the sale of fish or from the sale of the fishing opportunity?
Recreation

Continue with question 2

To provide income

Thank the angler and end interview, angler not eligible
[Code as ‘Not Recreational’]

Item 1 - This question determines whether the angler meets the recreational criteria. A response
of ‘to provide income’ will end the screening because the respondent is not a recreational angler. A
response of ‘recreational’ to Item 1 will lead to Item 2. In some states an angler may be
‘commercial’ or ‘recreational’ on any given day. FIs must ask about the original intent for the
particular trip taken that day, regardless of the type of fishing license possessed.
2. Were you saltwater fishing today? By saltwater fishing, I mean fishing in oceans, sounds, or
bays, or in brackish portions of rivers.
Yes

Continue with question 3

No

Thank the angler and end interview, angler not eligible
[Code as ‘Not Salt Water’]

Item 2 - This question verifies that the angler is a saltwater angler. A response of ‘no’ to Item 2
will end the screening. A response of ‘yes’ will lead to Item 3. Use knowledge of the area when
screening for this question. For example, if an angler indicates that he/she was fishing in saltwater,
but the FI knows that it has been raining heavily, making the fished area actually freshwater
because the salt wedge has moved downstream, the FI should terminate the interview.

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Chapter 4 – APAIS Assignment

Figure 4.1: Survey Introduction and Eligibility Determination (continued)
I
3. Were you fishing for finfish today?
Yes
No

Continue with question 4
Continue with question 3a

Item 3 - This question verifies that the person is targeting finfish. That is, the fishing trip was
directed at fish with fins. Note that a person does not have to have caught any finfish to
participate; as long as he/she was fishing for finfish they are eligible.
3a. Did you catch any finfish today?
Yes
No

Continue
Thank the angler and end interview, angler not eligible

Item 3a – Shell fishermen (or any invertebrate target such as octopus, squid, etc.) may have
caught finfish although it was not the primary target. These shell fishermen are eligible if one or
more finfish were incidentally caught.
4. Have you completed your saltwater fishing today?
Yes
Angler is eligible, start main APAIS questionnaire
No
Continue with question 5
Item 4 - Marine recreational anglers who intended to catch finfish are asked whether they have
completed their fishing for the day. The FI should consider all parameters of the ‘Determination of
Completed Anglers’ section. If the response is ‘yes,’ the angler is eligible for the survey and the FI
should start the main APAIS Questionnaire at this point. If the response is ‘no,’ the FI will continue
by asking Item 5.
5. Will you still be fishing from a (SPECIFY FISHING MODE)?
Same mode
Thank the angler and end interview, angler not eligible
[Code as ‘Not Done’ if angler remains at site until end of assignment; code
nothing if angler leaves but plans to resume fishing in the same fishing mode later]
Different mode
Angler is eligible, start main APAIS questionnaire
Item 5 - Anglers who are coming back to the same site to fish are eligible ONLY if they plan to fish
from a different mode when they return. They are not eligible if they are planning to fish from the
same mode at the same site later in the day.

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Procedures Manual – January 2025