Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) Initiative
Fisheries Uses and Values Project
Survey Design (commercial)
For the commercial fleet, we propose the use of a purposive sampling design similar to the one we implemented in the NCCSR process. The rationale for targeting fishermen who comprise the majority of the catch ("highliners") in each fishery is based on the assumption that they have better spatial knowledge of the fishing grounds than less successful or part-time fishermen. In general, given the information sought, a random sampling approach is less useful. Similar to the NCCSR process we'll incorporate modifications to our current design based on the recommendations received in the SCCSR project. Specifically, we will address concerns around how the study population is defined, how fisheries are classified, and how over-sampling the "highliners" might influence the results, and devise a useful stratification scheme. Until we determine the fishery groups and sample population, it is difficult to estimate the total number of interviews that will be conducted.
- Work with Department of Fish and Game staff and regional experts to define the region's fisheries in terms of how they are managed.
- Differentiate in terms of practices and/or species (group)-gear configurations
- Use geographic groups or subgroups as a means of classifying participants and supporting representative sampling.
- Identify proportion of in-region landings made by fishermen residing there, elsewhere in the state and out of state.
- Once the groupings have been defined, the sample population of fishermen will be stratified and later evaluated by their fishing effort in the region by linking their grounds to landing receipts.
- This will ensure that the sample is representative in terms of percentage of fishermen participating in a fishery.
- Based on the sample population within the fishery groupings and geographic groups or subgroups, use criteria that are consistent with representing:
- At least 50% of the total landings and/or ex-vessel revenue from 2003–2006
- At least 5 fishermen, except in cases where the sample population is fewer then five.
- Not currently knowing the exact composition of the sample population makes it difficult to estimate the exact number of interviews that will need to be conducted in the South coast region. Based on the experience in the other two regions we estimate it will take roughly 250 interviews to satisfy the criteria outlined above. This estimate will be confirmed or revised once we've defined the region's fisheries in terms of how they are managed.
- Using the criteria listed above, clearly document and present results that describe how the sample was defined and what the final classifications represent in terms of:
- Total number of fishermen
- Criteria for selection (i.e. how much did they need to land to be associated with a fishery group?)
- How many fishermen engage in multiple fisheries?
- Are there fishermen that are not captured because they are missing from the landing receipts or have inadequate contact information?
- What is their association with the ports in the region (landing vs. home)
