Frequently Asked Questions About the Survey

This survey is an effort by the Social Science Branch of the NOAA Fisheries Northeast Fisheries Science Center to assess the current social and economic conditions of commercial fishing crews (including hired captains) in the New England and Mid-Atlantic States for which little is known. The survey is a follow-up to a baseline study conducted in 2011/2012 and will allow for comparisons to determine how and why commercial crew working conditions may have changed over time. Data to be collected include demographic information on crew, wage calculations systems, well-being, fishing practices, job satisfaction, job opportunities, and attitudes toward fisheries management.

We simply do not know much about the experiences of commercial fishing crew members and yet they are a critical part of the commercial fishing industry. The majority of economic and social information collected has tended to focus on vessel owners. The results of this survey will not only help fisheries managers understand what is going on in crew members’ lives but also the impacts of management decisions on commercial crew. This survey is extremely valuable in helping improve and shape fishery management decisions.

Social and economic information will be collected from commercial crew. Examples of information collected on the survey include: demographic information, job opportunities, job satisfaction, wage system calculations, and well-being.

Survey participants include crew and hired captains on commercial fishing vessels in the New England and Mid-Atlantic states. Since there is no database of registered crew, participants are intercepted and interviewed on the docks at major ports.

NOAA Fisheries Northeast Fisheries Science Center Social Science Branch conducts the survey. We provide applied economic and sociocultural research on the management of commercial and recreational fisheries. It is our commitment to perform independent, relevant, and accessible research aimed at providing useful input to the decision-making process in fisheries management.

To date, there have been three waves of the Crew Survey - the first in 2012-2013, the second in 2018-2019, and the most recent survey wave took place in 2023-2024. Going forward, the Crew Survey is anticipated to be conducted every 3-5 years.

The survey takes approximately 10-15 minutes to complete, but times may vary by survey respondent.

Data and information collected as part of the Crew Survey are completely confidential and will not be released for public use except in aggregate statistical form without any identification as to its source. Additionally, participation (or lack of participation) in the survey is totally anonymous - no personally identifiable information is collected as part of this survey.