ALASKA COMMUNITY SURVEY
Improving information available on Alaskan fishing communities
What
The Alaska Fisheries Science Center (AFSC) is in the process of updating the Community Profiles for North Pacific Fisheries – Alaska (http://www.afsc.noaa.gov/REFM/Socioeconomics/Projects/CPU.php). This document includes profiles of 136 Alaskan fishing communities and describes each community and their involvement in the North Pacific fisheries. AFSC social scientists received some great feedback on how to revise the profiles in meetings held with Alaskan fishing community representatives in August and September, 2010. The next step is to collect new social and economic information to better characterize communities and their involvement in fishing. This information will be collected in a questionnaire that will be mailed to 196 tribal and city offices. Examples of information to be requested include community revenues derived from fisheries and related support sector businesses, population fluctuations, fisheries infrastructure available in the community, community participation in fisheries management, and effects of fisheries management decisions on the community.
When
We have hired the survey research firm ICF Macro, who will be calling tribal and city offices to let them know they will be getting a questionnaire in the mail. The questionnaires will be sent out in April 2011 and will include a self-addressed and stamped envelope.
Why
The main goal of this survey is to collect currently unavailable information about each community’s involvement in fishing. AFSC needs people from each community to fill out the questionnaire so that we can include the most up to date information in the revised community profiles. The information you provide may be used to help shape decisions about federal government actions on fisheries off Alaska. To make sure that the best possible information is obtained about each community, we need to hear from you. Without your response, we will not be able to provide the information requested in each community’s profile.
Questions
If you have any questions about this survey, please feel free to contact Amber Himes at Amber.Himes@noaa.gov or (206) 526-4221
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