Frequently Asked Questions About the Survey

The cost information provided in this web tool is obtained from the Greater Atlantic Region Commercial Fishing Business Cost Survey Administered by the Social Sciences Branch (SSB) of the Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC)

  • The Greater Atlantic Region Commercial Fishing Business Cost Survey is a voluntary survey sent to federally permitted commercial fishing vessel owners.
  • The survey primarily collects cost information not collected anywhere else by NOAA Fisheries in the Greater Atlantic region; collecting costs such as repair and maintenance, upgrade and improvement, insurance costs, mooring fees, and crew/hired captain payments.
  • The survey cost data are used by NOAA Fisheries to track trends in costs over time and to understand the economic performance of fishing fleets. These costs are ultimately used to inform management decisions.
  • This web-based tool can be used to help inform stakeholders such as the New England Fishery Management Council, Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, industry members, fishing community organizations, and academics.

  • Vessel Repair/Maintenance & Upgrade/Improvement Costs
  • Vessel Fees and Insurance
  • Trip Expenses
  • Overhead Costs
  • Crew Payments and Payment Systems
  • Quota Costs/Revenues

  • The survey has been administered since the early 2000s but was most recently administered to collect costs incurred in 2011, 2012, and 2015.
  • The next survey will be sent in 2023 for costs incurred in 2022.
  • Low response to the survey has created challenges when conducting analyses and summarizing the survey data.
  • If you owned a federally permitted vessel in 2022, you will receive a survey in 2023. We kindly request that you complete this voluntary survey to help improve the quality of this web application as well as improve economists' ability to use the data for analysis purposes. Improved cost data can allow economists to more thoroughly analyze and convey the impacts of regulations on commercial fishing profitability.

  • Increased response to the survey provides a more accurate representation of the costs incurred by the fishing industry over time and creates a more complete view of overall economic performance.
  • Fishery managers will be able to use cost information to better capture the potential impacts of management actions on commercial fishing businesses.
  • Aggregated data summaries can also be used by fishermen for business planning purposes.

  • Survey participation and responses are completely confidential.
  • All data appearing on the website and in reports are presented in a manner that protects confidentiality.
  • Individual, vessel-level survey data can only be accessed by NOAA fisheries staff and contracted staff with signed non-disclosure agreements.