If your a angler or not, please read and comment.....Thanks
2012 Massachusetts Saltwater Angler Permit Survey
COMMONLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How do I participate in the study
Surveys are being mailed to a small, randomly selected group of 2012 Massachusetts Saltwater
Recreational Fishing Permit holders. If you don’t receive a survey in the mail by June, you have
not been selected to participate.
If I am selected for the study, do I have to participate?
No, your participation in this study is voluntary.
How long will it take to complete the questionnaire?
The questionnaire can be filled out in a few minutes.
If I haven’t fished in Massachusetts marine waters yet this year, should I still participate?
Yes. If you haven’t fished yet, or even if you’re not sure you’ll have a chance to fish at all in
2012, your responses are still important.
Why is this study being conducted?
There is a growing need for better information about the economic value of recreational saltwater
fishing in Massachusetts. The contribution of recreational fishing to the State’s economy is often
measured by the number of jobs and the amount of sales and incomes that are supported by the
expenditures of saltwater recreational fishermen. While this approach provides important
information, it does not consider the value that anglers place on being able to go saltwater
fishing. How valuable is saltwater fishing in Massachusetts to you? We believe that studies that
attempt to estimate the value of saltwater recreational fishing should also include an estimate of
what saltwater fishing is worth to the people that actually go fishing. The information collected
from this study will allow us to estimate the value anglers like you place on being able to go
recreational saltwater fishing.
I understand that some of the surveys include a cash offer to not go fishing in
Massachusetts. Is the study trying to reduce effort or participation in Massachusetts’
recreational fishery?
No. This study was not initiated to reduce the number of permits issued, take away fishing rights,
or discourage recreational fishing in Massachusetts. The Massachusetts Division of Marine
Fisheries has no limit on the number of recreational saltwater fishing permits it issues. Only 500
of the 1,900 surveys being mailed will include a cash offer (ranging from $15 to $500) in
exchange for the recipient’s returning his or her permit and thus giving up access to fishing in
Massachusetts’ marine waters for the remainder of 2012. These offers will only be used to
inform the researchers what value you place on access to recreational fishing in Massachusetts.
Accepting the offer will not affect your ability to obtain a Massachusetts’ saltwater fishing
permit in 2013. In place of the cash offer, the remaining surveys pose a hypothetical question
about how much the recipient would be willing to sell his or her permit for or would have been
willing to buy it for
. How will the results of the study be used by Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries?
The information on economic value gathered from the study will be used to better characterize
Massachusetts’ recreational fishery, such as for use in ocean planning and prioritizing competing
uses, when evaluating future claims of lost access due to a natural or man-made disaster, and
when determining the proper investment to support the recreational industry. The information
will not be used to modify permit fees or to make management decisions that reduce recreational
access to public resources. The Division of Marine Fisheries is committed to supporting and
promoting the Commonwealth’s recreational (and commercial) fishery.
Why am I being asked to provide information about my employment status, education
level, and household income?
Your responses to these questions will help us better understand the relationship between
demographic characteristics and the value that anglers place on being able to go recreational
saltwater fishing. Although your answers to these questions provide important information, if
you do not wish to answer a particular question you may leave it blank.
Will my answers remain anonymous?
Yes. All individual information will be treated as strictly confidential. Individual data will be
combined with information from other respondents to present an overall view of anglers fishing
in Massachusetts
.
Who is conducting the study?
The study is being conducted by NOAA Fisheries Service, Massachusetts Division of Marine
Fisheries, and Quantech, Inc., a statistical analysis and survey research firm. The Massachusetts
Division of Marine Fisheries is supporting the principal investigator, NOAA Fisheries Service,
by supplying contact information (name and address) of 2012 Massachusetts Saltwater
Recreational Fishing Permit holders for distribution of the surveys. NOAA Fisheries Service
contracted Quantech, Inc. to distribute and compile responses to the surveys.
How is this study funded?
The study is federally funded. NOAA Fisheries Service allocated about $145,000 to conduct the
survey, with about $75,000 allotted for cash offers. Fees collected from the sale of Massachusetts
Saltwater Recreational Fishing permits are not funding the survey. As required by state law, all
fees collected from the sale of Massachusetts recreational saltwater fishing permits go into a
dedicated Marine Recreational Fisheries Development Fund and can only be used to improve
recreational fishing or recreational fishery research, ensuring a “user-pays, user-benefits”
program. A citizen board called the Marine Recreational Fisheries Development Panel assists the
Division of Marine Fisheries in crafting annual spending plans for appropriations from the Fund,
1/3 of which must be used on recreational saltwater fishing infrastructure projects in
Massachusetts, ensuring better access to coastal fishing.
Who should I contact if I have more questions about the survey?
General questions about MarineFisheries’ involvement can be directed to Nichola Meserve
(nichola.meserve@state.ma.us). Technical questions regarding the study should be directed to
Quantech, Inc., specifically Daemian Schreiber at 800-229
Now what do you think?
I think this study is to determine what to set the fee on saltwater licences at.
I'm interested on your feedback.
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