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CLOSED: OA Survey

The Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission (PSMFC), in cooperation with NOAA Fisheries, is conducting a cost earnings survey of the West Coast open access groundfish and salmon fleet through this request for proposals (RFP). The PSMFC has already completed a cost earnings survey of the West Coast limited entry fleet. The Limited Entry survey attempted to conduct in-person interviews with the owners of the approximately 300 limited entry commercial fishing vessels active on the West Coast, and obtained a response rate of about 70%. The open access groundfish and salmon survey, which is the subject if this Request For Proposals, will cover the much larger open access groundfish and salmon fleet, which consists of 1,352 vessels which do not have limited entry permits and made trips during the 2005-6 period targeting groundfish and/or salmon.

Because of the relatively large size of the survey population, this survey will use a combination of mail questionnaires, telephone interviews, and in-person interviews. The survey design calls for attempting in-person interviews with 413 vessel owners, telephone interviews with 258 vessel owners, and collecting data through a mail questionnaire from 681 vessel owners. The purpose of this RFP is to solicit proposals for conducting the 671 in-person and telephone interviews which will be attempted by this survey. PSMFC staff will conduct the mailing portion of this survey.

The chosen contractor will review survey materials and protocols developed by PSMFC and NOAA Fisheries, and conduct in-person interviews using these materials and protocols. Development of materials and protocols for this voluntary survey has sought to maximize the survey response rate by accounting for the unique characteristics of commercial fisheries survey research. Compared with other fisheries cost earnings survey questionnaires, the current survey questionnaire is relatively short (Appendix D). Based on discussions with members of the fishing community, the survey is using a combination of mail, telephone, and in-person contact methods. Data will be collected through in-person interviews, telephone interviews, and mail questionnaires.

Download RFP Jan. 4, 2007 alt text