For each assignment the primary goal is to obtain 20 "good" interviews in the assigned mode. "Good" interviews are interviews in which all key data are obtained. Key data that must be coded include: fishing mode; water fished; three/ten mile limit for ocean fishing; state and county of residence; were fish caught that are available for inspection; was the catch mixed; can catch be separated; number of anglers who caught aggregated fish (group catches); species code; species, number of fish and in most cases disposition of the catch for inspected fish; species, number of fish and disposition of unavailable catch by angler; type 4 record data that links an interview with for interview that has the group catch records; was the angler a member of a group; and Type 6 record data that links the interview to the first angler in a party to be interviewed.
On most assignments 20 "good" interviews is the maximum number that can be obtained in any one mode. The only exception would be partyboat interviewing when the interviewer has boarded a partyboat. In this case, there is no limit to the number of interviews possible. While interviewing on partyboats, the goal is to get at least 20 "good" interviews.
Another goal is to ensure that at least two coastal residents are interviewed in each State/wave/mode (cell). It is not possible to adequately expand the intercept data unless this requirement is fulfilled. Toward the end of the wave, if no coastal residents have been intercepted in a particular state and mode, roving assignments can be attempted. Interviewers on roving assignments can conduct interviews at any site within the State and mode of concern until two coastal residents have been successfully interviewed; however, all anglers intercepted must still be interviewed regardless of residence. Screening only for coastal county residents should not occur.
Each assignment specifies an assigned mode, an assigned county, an assigned (starting) site, and an assigned date. No starting time will be specified. It is up to each interviewer to select an appropriate starting time for the assignment. This should be done with the knowledge that anglers must be interviewed at the completion of their fishing trips.
The time of day selected for sampling should reflect daily fishing activity. For example, if anglers typically use a shore fishing site at high tide only, then that should be the time of day for sampling. Also, if night fishing pressure is high (i.e., on a lighted pier), then some sampling should be done at night. Most anglers return to boat launching and mooring areas in mid- to late afternoon, so this is generally the best time to sample these sites.
Interviewers should gather intelligence information on fishing activity to aid in their sampling productivity. Newspaper and weekly magazine fishing reports are useful in monitoring activity and the seasonal opening and closing of fishing piers, marinas, party/charter operations, etc. State and NMFS regional personnel also may be a good source of information. These intelligence activities are particularly useful during the winter waves when fishing pressure is low and the information can be beneficial in the selection of alternate sampling sites.
The interviewer must start his/her assignment at the assigned site. When possible the interviewer should do some advance checking with the person in charge at that site before going on an assignment. This is especially true for assignments at private marinas, boat rental locations, partyboat docks and the like where it is important to know the hours of operation. A contact name and phone number will be provided on the site register whenever possible. When phone numbers are not provided, the interviewer should use his/her phone directory to find a listing for the site. Since telephone numbers change, any revisions should be noted to update the site register. The same is true if a phone number that is missing on the site register is obtained.
Upon arriving at the site the interviewer should first check in with the person in charge (or the person previously contacted). Many sites, especially public beaches, will have no such person, but privatelyowned or closely supervised public operations will have a manager in charge. Both for permission and as a courtesy, the interviewer should introduce himself/herself and give a summary of the purpose of the survey. Copies of a letter from NMFS (Attachment B) are provided to substantiate the legitimacy of the survey and encourage cooperation. These should be given out as needed.
The onsite procedures differ slightly for each mode of fishing. The following subsections describe the typical procedures for each mode.
If the interviewer is assigned to a pier, jetty or bridge, he/she should station himself/herself at a point of access (entryexit) to the site. The station should be such that all anglers leaving the site can be easily seen and approached. It should not be next to a fish cleaning stand, since usually only anglers with fish will stop at the stand. If all anglers are actively engaged in fishing, the interviewer should canvass the structure to inform them about the survey, solicit their cooperation, and point out where he/she will be stationed.
When a beach or bank site is assigned, the interviewer will typically have to cover a rather extensive stretch of coast fished by scattered clusters of anglers or solitary anglers at remote spots. If there is a predominant point of egress from the site (eg., a central parking facility), the interviewer should position him-/herself there. If no such point exists, the interviewer should position him-/herself such that the majority of anglers are within sight and easily accessible. Close observation of the fishing activity is required since the interviewer must be alert to anglers leaving the site.
A preliminary canvass to determine the number and location of anglers onsite and a rough approximation of the duration of their trips has been a useful tactic in previous years. With this information the interviewer is able to maximize intercept coverage by planning his/her movements around those of the respondents. The preliminary canvass should also be used to inform the anglers about the study and gain consent to conduct the interview.
If no suitable observation spot can be found and the anglers' completion times can not be determined, a roving method is often suitable, with concentration on the stretches where the most anglers are present.
NOTE: In North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, East Florida, West Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana, partyboat anglers are not eligible to be interviewed. In these states, only interviews with charter boat anglers are allowed in the Party/Charter mode.
PartyboatOnly Sites: At partyboatonly sites it is often difficult to obtain 20 "good" interviews by staying on the dock. This is because of the large number of anglers from each boat completing their trips at the same time. The ability to get 20 interviews will depend on how many partyboats are located at the same site and the schedules of those partyboats. If an interviewer does not think that he/she can get 20 "good" interviews by staying on the dock, he/she must consider going on a partyboat. If a fishing site has boats taking 1/2 day trips (dock to dock: less than 7 hours) as well as 3/4 or full day trips (dock to dock: 7 to 12 hours), interviewers should sample these boats in proportion to their occurrence and frequency of trips. Interviewers should usually not board a partyboat with fewer than 20 anglers, but there may be occasions when this is necessary to meet quotas, particularly during winter waves. Another reason to board partyboats would be if the interviewer has knowledge that most of the fish are filleted at sea and could not be identified to the species level by interviewing at the dock.
Prior to boarding, the partyboat operator should be informed about the survey. In some cases the operator will allow the interviewer free or reducedprice boarding privileges, but generally the interviewer will have to purchase a ticket as if he/she were going to fish. If possible, reservations should be made well in advance of the trip since partyboats are often full.
Once on board, the interviewer should introduce him-/herself and the survey to the boat captain. Good rapport with the captain will often result in increased cooperation of the partyboat patrons. Canvassing introductions should begin as soon as the boat leaves the dock and continue until all the anglers are aware of the survey.
On partyboats it is permissible to conduct partial interviews prior to trip completion. The interviewer can work through the interview up to Item 28, concerning catch, with the exception of Item 12, area fished, and Item 17, time spent fishing. Since each angler's name will be on his/her form, the interviewer can go back to each angler and get the remaining information as trips are completed. As with all other modes, interviewers on partyboats are not allowed to fish.
Final interviewing should begin as soon as the anglers have completed their fishing and the boat begins the return to the dock. When conducting partyboat interviews on board there is no limit on the number of interviews to conduct. The emphasis is to get at least 20 "good" interviews. Under optimum circumstances all anglers on the boat will be interviewed. Some form of subsampling may be necessary, however, if the boat holds a large number of anglers or if the time required for travel back to the dock is minimal. While times vary, an interview and creel inspection require approximately ten minutes. The interviewer should approximate the number of interviews that can be conducted, and then systematically sample from the total number of anglers on the boat. For example, if only 15 interviews can be conducted and the boat is carrying 45 anglers, every third angler should be interviewed. Under no conditions should the interviewer just approach the more friendly anglers. The sample must be systematically conducted with a random selected starting angler!
Partyboat and Charter Boat Sites: In some cases the assigned site will have both partyboats and charter boats. In such cases, the interviewer will have to use his/her judgment concerning partyboat boarding. If it is possible to obtain 20 "good" interviews while stationed on the dock, the interviewer should stay at the dock. This, of course, is a function of how many boats have departed from the site and their expected times of return. If only a small number of boats have departed or if all boats will return at the same time, the interviewer might not be able to obtain 20 "good" interviews and he/she should board a partyboat.
Interviewers should attempt to sample partyboats and charter boats at these sites in proportion to their activity. If he/she rides a partyboat on one assignment, it would be appropriate to stay at the dock and sample charter boats along with some partyboat patrons on the next assignment at that site.
Charter BoatOnly Sites: Interviewers should never go on a charter boat. Intercept procedures for charter boats resemble those for private and rental boats (see Section 2.3.1.3.3 below). With charter boat sites, however, it is well worth the effort to call the site or charterboat captains in advance to find out the boats' schedules. With this information, the interviewer can plan to arrive at the dock just prior to the scheduled returns.
Interviewers should strive to complete individual interviews and catch records for each member of the charter group. However, this may be difficult for charter boats, since anglers often have little control over the handling of their fish, which are often stored together. Under no circumstances can interviews be conducted with charter captains or mates. Captains and mates may be consulted to determine the actual water area fished.
Because there are large differences between one boat landing/docking facility and another, the best procedure for a particular site must be determined by the interviewer. For private boat interviews the anglers might be interviewed while waiting for a boat hoist or while cleaning the boat at a dock. Others might be interviewed in the parking lot while waiting for access to a ramp to remove the boat from the water. Often the offer of assistance to the boat operator in handling a boat line or loading the boat onto a trailer is a good way to obtain cooperation for the interview. The interviewer will have to use discretion in determining the best approach.
Ideally, all anglers in a boat will be interviewed; however, circumstances may be such that this is not possible. Once an interviewer approaches a boat, he/she should attempt to interview each angler in the boat. If there are many boats returning at once, a non-biased method of subsampling is needed whereby every second or third boat is approached.
As with the shore (SH) mode, an interviewer should never station him-/herself next to a fish cleaning stand. Usually only anglers catching fish will stop at the stand, and the sample will be biased toward anglers with catch. An angler does not have to have caught or to have kept fish to be eligible for the interview.
It is possible to conduct interviews in modes other than the assigned mode. Interviews in other modes should be conducted during nonproductive time spent while waiting to interview in the assigned mode. For example, if the assigned mode is private/rental boat (PR) and the interviewer is waiting for boats to return, he/she should interview any dock anglers (SH) who might be completing their trips.
Also, if an interviewer obtains 20 "good" interviews in his/her assigned mode relatively quickly, he/she should move on to the next assignmnet. If all assignmnets are complete then he/she can begin to focus on alternate modes for the remainder of the day. Alternate sites may be visited, if necessary, but in no case should the total number of sites visited during an assignment exceed three.
Finally, an interviewer can interview in a mode other than the assigned mode if he/she has already started an assignment and determines that the assigned mode is not active within a one hour drive of the assigned site. Such a determination should be made only after visiting the assigned site and at least one alternate site for the assigned mode. If there are no other sites within a one hour drive that are in the same mode as the assigned site, a visit to the assigned site would be enough and interviewing in another mode could begin. If an interviewer has reason to believe that the mode would not be active within a one hour drive of the assigned site prior to going out on the assignment, he/she should postpone the assignment and inform the field supervisor of the postponement.
In summary, interviews in other than the assigned mode should be obtained during nonproductive time, after the assignment goal has been met, or after determining that the assigned mode is not active in the interviewer's sampling area on the assigned day. In addition, no more than 20 "good" interviews should be obtained in any one alternate mode. In other words, if an interviewer manages to conduct interviews in all three modes, he/she should turn in no more than 60 "good" interviews (except where the PC mode was the assigned mode and more than 20 partyboat anglers were interviewed).
For the purposes of this survey, a tournament is defined as a fishing contest lasting seven or fewer days for which participants have to register. Prizes are given according to the rules of the contest: most, biggest, etc. Informal "pools", such as those arranged on partyboats, are not considered tournaments. Anglers would have ridden the partyboat whether or not there was a pool.
Tournaments are not specifically sampled in this survey. Assigned sites and dates are randomly selected without regard to what might be happening at the site. If an assigned site turns out to be the official weigh station for a tournament, the interviewer should not interview at the site. The interviewer should document that a tournament was taking place at his/her assigned site and that he/she moved to an alternate site. The same rule also applies to alternate sites. The "tournament" site does not have to be counted as a site visited in terms of the maximum of three sites for an assignment. In other words, an interviewer can go to more than three sites if one or more of the sites is an official weigh station for a tournament.
Interviewers should not attempt an assignment if the weather is such that there will be no anglers. For example, if there are gale warnings, interviewers should not go on a boat assignment. There may be shore fishing activity even though boats are not active. If an assignment is "weathered out" the interviewer should call his field supervisor as soon as possible so that the assignment can be rescheduled.
Time of arrival at a site is essential to determine potential for obtaining 1 interview per hour. During the first two hours of on-site time the interviewer must determine whether he/she will be able to obtain at least one interview per on-site hour. In these two hours, the interviewer should be able to visit his/her assigned site and two alternate sites. If one interview per on-site hour is not possible, the interviewer should end the assignment due to lack of fishing effort. Or, at any time during an assignment, if the interviewer does not feel that he/she can get one interview per remaining on-site hour, he/she should terminate the assignment. Understandably, there will be occasions when an interviewer misjudges the potential for interviews and falls short for the assignment. This will only be a problem if it occurs with significant frequency. An interviewer should never spend more than two hours of on-site time if no interviews are submitted. (i.e., If there are 5 anglers fishing at a site than the interviewer has the potential to stay on-site for up to 5 more hours. The interviewer should not simply leave the site if less than 5 anglers are present for 5 remaining hours in an 8 hour day.
To be eligible for an interview an angler must:
1. be a saltwater recreational angler who intended to catch finfish, or a shellfisher who has incidentally caught finfish;
2. have completed his/her fishing trip, defined as one waking day of fishing in one mode; and
3. have fished in U.S. waters.
All such persons, five years of age or older, are eligible.
Determination of Saltwater - All sites assigned will be known saltwater fishing sites, so in most cases all anglers encountered will be saltwater anglers. In estuarine areas, however, a definition of saltwater is often difficult. Inland saltwater bodies include sounds, passes, inlets, bays, estuaries, tidal portions of rivers, and other areas of salt or brackish water like bayous and canals. Some coastal water bodies are called lakes but should still be considered saltwater. However, high salinity non-coastal lakes like the Salton Sea in Southern California are not valid marine recreational fishing areas. At sites where both freshwater and saltwater fishing occur, the interviewer must ask each angler which area the majority of his/her fishing effort took place. A person who spent most of their effort freshwater fishing is not eligible for the survey and should not be interviewed.
Determination of Recreational - For this survey, a recreational fishing trip is one that is taken for fun or relaxation as opposed to one taken to provide income from the sale of fish. The purpose of the trip at the beginning of the day defines the trip. Anglers who sell their catch to cover the expense of their fishing trips are not necessarily fishing to provide income. These anglers would be eligible. A commercial fisher might have a bad day and change his/her thinking about the purpose of the trip. If he/she started the trip with the purpose of providing income from the sale of fish, he/she is not a recreational angler and should not be interviewed.
Determination of targeting finfish or incidental catch by shellfishers - The angler's actual catch has no effect at all on his/her eligibility. If he/she has thrown his/her fish back or did not catch anything at all, he/she would still be eligible for an interview as long as he/she intended to catch finfish. Generally, respondents pursuing crabs, shrimp, lobster, clams, oysters, and other invertebrates are not eligible for the survey; however, if they happened to catch a finfish (whether it was kept or not) during the marine fishing trip, the respondent should be interviewed.
Determination of a completed trip - For the most part, interviewers will be intercepting anglers who have completed their fishing trips. In general, an angler has completed the fishing trip if he/she has completed fishing in that mode for the day. If a angler is moving from one site to another site in the same mode (e.g., from a dock to a bridge), he/she has not completed the trip and is not eligible for an interview. If an angler is moving from one mode to another mode (e.g., from a dock to a boat) at either the same site or different sites, he/she has completed a trip in the target mode and is eligible to be interviewed about that trip. If an intercepted angler has completed two trips, having fished in two different modes, the interviewer should ask questions pertaining only to the trip in the target mode.
Only anglers making one-day trips are eligible. One-day refers to the angler's waking day, as opposed to a calendar day. A trip beginning in the evening but ending past midnight would be considered one trip. When an interviewer intercepts an angler who has been on a trip lasting several days, most likely a boat trip, each of the angler's waking days would be considered a separate trip. The interview should be conducted considering only the most recent waking day of fishing. If the angler's waking day was more than 24 hours, only the most recent 24 hours should be considered.
Determination of U.S. waters - At some boat access sites interviewers may encounter anglers who spent the majority of their fishing effort in foreign waters. If the interviewer is at a boat site where fishing in foreign waters is possible, he/she must ask: "Was most of your fishing effort in foreign waters?" An affirmative response would make the angler ineligible for the survey. Only anglers fishing in U.S. waters are eligible to be interviewed.
At some sites it is possible and advisable to build rapport with the people fishing prior to conducting any interviews. Anglers who have had the opportunity to meet the interviewer and discuss the survey tend to be more cooperative when asked for an interview at the end of a fishing trip. A key factor in gaining the respondent's initial cooperation and confidence in the study lies in assuring him/her that the interviewer is not part of any enforcement effort and briefly informing the respondent about the basic research nature of the survey. When explicitly given the purpose and scope of the survey very early in the introduction, the initial reluctance and misgivings usually dissolve and the interview will proceed in an atmosphere of confidence and cooperation.
The canvassing introduction is a useful tool for the interviewer to determine the most productive time and place to conduct interviews. By determining in advance the estimated times that individuals anticipate their fishing trips will be completed, the interviewer can decide whether or when it will be necessary to visit alternate sites.
The canvassing process should be very informal and as unobtrusive as possible. The conversation might begin with "Catch anything?" or "How's the fishing?" The interviewer must avoid any actions or statements which would disrupt the angler's normal fishing habits.
While canvassing, the interviewer might mention that he/she will want to identify, weigh, and measure the fish caught. This alone often provides an incentive for the interview. Also, the interviewer might begin to look at the fish being caught so that identification time is kept to a minimum during the interview. If deemed appropriate, the interviewer might also suggest that each angler keep his/her catch separated.
The Screening Introduction (Attachment C) serves two major purposes: 1) to introduce the interviewer and the survey, and 2) to determine if the angler is eligible for an interview. While each interviewer will be given several copies of the Screening Introduction, it should not be needed on a routine basis if the interviewer fully understands the study background and eligibility requirements.
All anglers approached should be told the interviewer's name and that the study is sponsored by the National Marine Fisheries Service. At no time should an interviewer claim that he/she is an employee of NMFS. If the angler is willing to cooperate, the interviewer would then ask the eligibility questions. The item-by-item instructions for the full Screening Introduction are as follows (The shorter Screening introduction at the top of the questionaire may be used, but the sampler must be aware that the angler must meet all of the screening criteria):
Item 1 This question is necessary to determine whether the angler meets the recreational criteria. A "to provide income" response to the question would end the screening because the respondent is not a recreational angler . A "recreational" response to Item 1 would lead to Item 2. In some States an angler may be "commercial" or "recreational" on any given day. Interviewers must ask about the trip just completed, regardless of the type of fishing license possessed.
Item 2 The purpose of this question is to verify that the angler is a saltwater angler. A angler is a saltwater angler if he/she thinks he/she is a saltwater angler . A "no" response to Item 2 would end the screening. A "yes" response would lead to Item 3.
Item 3 The purpose of this question is to verify that the person is targeting finfish. That is, his/her fishing trip was directed at fish with fins. A "yes" response to Item 3 would lead to Item 4. Note that a person does not have to have caught any finfish. He/She must only have been fishing for finfish. A "no" response to Item 3 would lead to Item 3a.
Item 3a -The purpose of this item is to identify shellfishers who caught one or more finfish. A
"no" here would lead to termination of the screening. A "yes" would lead to Item 4.
Item 4 - All marine recreational anglers who intended to catch finfish are asked whether they have completed their fishing for the day. If the response is "yes", the interviewer would move to the Intercept Questionnaire. If the response is "no", the interviewer would continue by asking Item 5.
Item 5 All anglers who have not completed their fishing for the day are asked where they plan to fish next. If the angler is going somewhere else to fish, the interviewer would continue by asking Item 6. If the angler plans to return to the site to continue fishing in the same mode, he/she has not finished in the mode for the day and is not eligible for an interview at that point in time (see Item 16 in Section 2.3.3.3 for beach/bank mode exceptions to this rule). In this case, the interviewer would terminate the screening. If there is more than one mode of fishing at the site, the interviewer should verify that the angler is returning to fish in the same mode. If the angler is changing modes upon return, he/she would be eligible to be interviewed about his/her fishing trip in the mode just completed.
Item 6 Anglers who reply that they are going somewhere else to fish (Item 5) are asked if they will be fishing in the same mode. If the response is "yes", the angler would not be eligible for an interview because he/she has not finished in the mode for the day. In this case, the interviewer should terminate the screening. If the response is "no", the angler has finished his/her fishing in the intercepted mode and would be eligible for an interview. The interviewer should then go to the Intercept Questionnaire.
As soon as the angler's eligibility is established, the interviewer should read the Privacy Act statement. This statement appears on the Intercept Questionnaire just above Item 11. While this rather short statement will be read to all anglers, each interviewer will be given and must carry several copies of a longer Privacy Act Statement (Attachment D) giving more complete information about the survey.
All surveys conducted by the federal government are regulated by the Privacy Act of 1974. This Act stipulates that each person interviewed must be informed of the following: the auspices under which the survey is being conducted; whether participation is voluntary or mandatory; what will happen if they choose not to participate; and how the information will be used. The Privacy Act also stipulates that this information must be available to each survey respondent in written form. While this information does appear on the longer, written Privacy Act Statement, most anglers are satisfied with the reading of the abbreviated statement.