North Carolina commercial fishermen in the central and southern coastal area may receive a survey conducted by the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries.
The survey is a follow up to previously conducted data collection in 2010, and seeks information on fishing habits, perceptions, income, expenditures and demographics. The information gathered in the survey will be used in fishery management plans as well as to develop economic impact models to help fisheries managers make informed decisions on various fisheries topics.
Fishermen will be asked questions such as what species they commonly target, their business structure, average trip and annual fishing expenses, demographic information such as education, age, and household income, as well as opinions on conflict with other fishermen and water users, fisheries regulation and community reliance on commercial fishing.
Individual answers to questions will be kept confidential; however, aggregate results from participants will be included in a written report that will be made available to anyone interested in commercial fishing.
In late January, the division mailed 300 written surveys to commercial fishermen with mailing addresses between Core Sound and the South Carolina border who land fish from state waters. The division plans to mail another 300 in the next few weeks.
Non-respondents will receive a reminder phone call from division staff. Fishermen who receive such a call can verify that the person calling is a division employee by asking the caller to verify his or her personal identification number. This number is located on the bottom left corner of all North Carolina Standard Commercial Fishing Licenses.
For the survey results to be truly representative of those who fish in North Carolina waters, it is very important that fishermen participate in the survey and answer as many questions as possible.
The survey is funded by the NOAA Fisheries Saltonstall-Kennedy Fund, which addresses the needs of fishing communities and aims to optimize economic benefits.
For more information, contact Adam Stemle, division socio-economics program manager, at 252-808-8107 or Adam.Stemle@ncdenr.gov.