2001 Pacific Coast Cooperative
The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) provided funds
to develop and test a new survey method for tracking marine recreational angler
fishing effort from party/charter
boats. The NMFS, the Pacific States
Marine Fisheries Commission (PSMFC) and the California Department of Fish and
Game are working cooperatively to conduct the new Party Charter Phone Survey
(PCPS). At the conclusion of the survey, an independent panel will compare
the new methods with the current survey method for party/charter boats used by
the Marine Recreational Fishery Statistics Survey (MRFSS).
· More
efficient data collection methods
· More
reliable fishing effort estimates and therefore better catch statistics
· Better
public understanding of survey methods
· More
accurate statistics for fisheries management
· Closer
association between government agencies and the user-groups.
We select a 10% random sample in California in each week
from boats listed in the state’s party/charter boat directory. We then notify designated representatives of
the selected boats by mail at least one week prior to the week for which they
are asked to report. Subsequently, we
contact representatives by phone to obtain the number of trips and number of
anglers who fished on each trip during the prior week.
Throughout the study, we will compare the summed weekly
fishing effort estimates with the bimonthly MRFSS estimates. To obtain survey catch estimates, we will
combine party/charterboat fishing-effort estimates with catch-per-trip
estimates from the MRFSS dockside intercept survey.
Prior to the start of the PCPS, we developed comprehensive directories of party/charter boats for each state using a variety of information sources including state or federal registration lists, USCG lists, party/charter and guide boat association lists, and dockside surveys. We are continuously verifying telephone numbers and addresses of vessel representatives through your responses to our mailings and telephone contacts.
To validate the effort data reported by the PCPS, state
samplers will periodically survey charter boat docks to directly observe vessel
fishing effort. The direct observations
of effort will be compared with the reported data from the telephone survey to
confirm accuracy.
We are conducting
the industryTelephone Survey side-by-side with the MRFSS in California and
slightly different state surveys in Oregon and Washington to allow an effective
comparison of the methods.
· Accuracy
of catch & effort estimates
· Reliability
of catch & effort estimates
· Respondent
burden
· Costs of implementation
The success of the PCPS will depend greatly on the level of
cooperation given by party/charter boat owners and operators. We are asking you to tolerate this temporary
increase in reporting burden to allow effective side-by-side testing of the alternative
survey methods. You may be contacted by telephone to report the same trip
information that you already recorded in a log. MRFSS interviewers may intercept and interview anglers who fished
on a trip which you will later describe in a telephone interview or on a log
form. The overlap in data collection
methods is intentional and necessary to ensure a fair scientific comparison of
the methods.
Your cooperation ensures that we obtain accurate and precise
accounting of marine recreational angler fishing trips and catch from
party/charter boats. To avoid
unnecessary regulations and to sustain the party/charter boat fishery for
generations to come, it is in the long term interest of your industry to
furnish accurate data on the trips and allow dockside samplers to examine the
angler catch. The planned new trip
survey is a cooperative state/federal/industry approach to furnish better
information. We ask for your support
and cooperation to make this survey successful and to keep the party/charter
boat fishing industry successful for years to come!
· National
Marine Fisheries Service
· Pacific
States Marine Fisheries Commission
· California
Department of Fish and Game
Please contact one of the agency representatives listed
below:
David Van Voorhees NMFS (301) 713-2328
Russell Porter PSMFC (503) 650-5400
Steve Crooke CDFG (562) 342-7195
