For HIre Dive Operations Questionnaire

FOR HIRE DIVE/SNORKEL OPERATIONS
IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THIS INFORMATION COLLECTION

1.

Authorizations to Collect the Information

The National Marine Sanctuaries Act (16 USC 1431, et seq.) authorizes the Flower Gardens Bank National
Marine Sanctuary to establish regulations to protect sanctuary resources or resolve user conflicts. This act
also authorizes the Sanctuary to do research and collect information necessary for evaluating new
regulations.
2.

How the Information Will Be Used

The Flower Gardens Bank National Marine Sanctuary has developed a public process to evaluate and
revise its current management plan and regulations. Through this public process and in consultation with
the Sanctuary Advisory Council, the Flower Gardens Bank National Marine Sanctuary is evaluating several
alternatives for expanding its boundaries to cover other banks in the Northwest Gulf of Mexico,
establishing a research only area to test the impacts of fishing, and revise other regulations on use of dive
flags by dive vessels, minimum distance and speeds for other vessels operating near dive vessels, and
vessel discharges. All current and revised regulations would apply to boundary expansion areas. The
Sanctuary Advisory Council or a Sanctuary Advisory Council Working Group, with members representing
different user groups, will help evaluate and make recommendations to the FGBNMS on boundary
expansion and research only area alternatives and revisions of other regulations.
The information collected here will be used by the Sanctuary Advisory Council or its working group and
management of the Flower Gardens Bank National Marine Sanctuary in evaluating alternative boundaries
for boundary expansion and research only areas alternatives. The objective will be to minimize the
socioeconomic impacts of boundary expansion and research only area alternatives. The information will
also be used by NOAA in completing socioeconomic impact analyses of any regulations resulting from any
proposed boundary expansion, research only area or other new regulations.
3.

Statement of Burden

Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average about three hours per
response, including time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and
maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments
regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions
for reducing burden, to Dr. Vernon R. (Bob) Leeworthy, Chief Economist, National Ocean Service, office
of National marine Sanctuaries, 1305 East West Highway, SSMC 4, 11th floor, Silver Spring, MD 20910.
4.

Your Participation and Protections of Proprietary Information

Your participation is voluntary. Notwithstanding any other provision of the law, no person is required to
respond to, nor shall any person be subject to a penalty for failure to comply with, a collection of
information subject to the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act, unless the collection of
information displays a currently valid OMB Control Number.
Any information that identifies you or your business (name, name of business, address and telephone
number) will not be given to anyone, including the government agencies sponsoring this information
collection. The information that identifies you or your business will be destroyed by the contractor
collecting the information at the end of the information collection. All other information will be available
for distribution.

Date of Interview________
OMB No. 0648-0597 Exp. Date:
Location of Interview:_________________________________________________
Recreational For Hire Dive Operations in the Northwest Gulf of Mexico (Part 1)
GENERAL INFORMATION
Name _______________________________
Telephone ___________________________
E-mail: _______________________________
Address: _______________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
1.

Which of the following includes your age?

18-30 31-40 41-50 51-60 over 60
2a. Are you Hispanic or Latino YES __ NO __
2b. What is your race? (Mark one or more)
__ White __ Black or African American __ American Indian or Alaska Native
__ Asian __ Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
3. How many family members do you support (including yourself)?
Myself only 2 3 4 5 6 7 Greater and 7
4. Are you a member of any of the following groups?
a. NAUI
b. PADI
c. SSI
d. Chamber of Commerce
e. An Environmental Group
f. Other (specify) _________________________________

YES __
YES __
YES __
YES __
YES __
YES __

NO __
NO __
NO __
NO __
NO __
NO __

5. What is your primary port/marina? _______________________________________
6. Do you have a secondary port/marina, from where you dive part of the year? YES __ NO __
-

If YES, then which one? _____________________________________________

7. How many years have you been a dive/snorkel operator? ___ (number of years)
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Date of Interview________
OMB No. 0648-0597 Exp. Date:
Location of Interview:_________________________________________________
8. How many years have you been a dive/snorkel operator in the Gulf of Mexico? ___ (number
of years)
9. Have you ever taken dive/snorkelers to the Flower Gardens Bank National Marine Sanctuary?
(Interviewer—Please show map) YES __ NO __
-

If YES, how many years have you taken dive/snorkelers to the Flower Gardens Bank
National Marine Sanctuary? ___ (number of years)

10. What approximate percentage of your total business income is derived from the dive/snorkel
operation? ____%
11. What approximate percentage of your TOTAL personal income is derived from the
dive/snorkel operation? ____ %
12. What approximate percentage of your TOTAL household income is derived from the
dive/snorkel operation? ___ %
13. How would you describe your dive/snorkel operation? (Mark one or more)
___ Full-time dive/snorkel operation __ Part-time dive/snorkel operation
___ Seasonal dive/snorkel operation If seasonal, what months
____________________________
__ Full-time Combination dive/snorkel, fishing, and wildlife observation operation
__ Part-time Combination dive/snorkel, fishing, and wildlife observation
__ Seasonal Combination dive/snorkel, fishing, and wildlife observation If seasonal, what
Months for dive/snorkel ________________________
Months for fishing ____________________________
Months for wildlife observation ______________________________
ECONOMIC INFORMATION
14. Number of boats/vessels at the operation: ____ (number of vessels)
15. Capacity of dive/snorkelers per vessel in operation:
Vessel 1: ____divers/ ____snorkelers Vessel 2: ____divers/ ___snorkelers
Vessel 3: ____divers/ ____snorkelers Vessel 4: ____divers/ ___snorkelers
16. Capacity of fishers per vessel in operation:
Vessel 1: ____fishers Vessel 2: ____fishers
Vessel 3: ____fishers Vessel 4: ____fishers

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Date of Interview________
OMB No. 0648-0597 Exp. Date:
Location of Interview:_________________________________________________
17. Capacity of wildlife observes per vessel in operation:
Vessel 1: ____wildlife observers Vessel 2: ____wildlife observers
Vessel 3: ____wildlife observers Vessel 4: ____wildlife observers
18. Number of employees at the operation:
a. Full time ____ b. Part time ____ c. Seasonal _____
19. Please provide your best estimate of the replacement value of the following items that you
used last year (fill in year ____).
a. Vessel(s) and electronic equipment:
b. Diving and snorkeling gear:
c. Compressors
d. Rods/Reels
e. Other gear (specify) _________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________

$ __________
$ __________
$ __________
$ __________
$ __________
$ __________
$ __________

20. Outstanding balance on loan amounts for vessels and equipment $ _________
21. Please provide your best estimate for the following expenses last year:
Permits/Licenses:
Docking fees:
Interest payments on vessel(s):
P&I insurance on vessel(s)
Maintenance/repair on vessel/electronic equipment:
Maintenance/repair on dive/snorkel gear:
Maintenance on rods/reels:
Maintenance/repair on compressors:
Maintenance/repair on other equipment:
Other Dive equipment costs:
Advertising:
Office rent/mortgage:
Office utilities (electric, water, telephone, Internet):
Depreciation of vessels and equipment:
Business Taxes:
Other: ____________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________

$ __________
$ __________
$ __________
$ __________
$ __________
$ __________
$ __________
$ __________
$ __________
$ __________
$ __________
$ __________
$ __________
$ __________
$ __________
$ __________
$ __________
$ __________

3

Date of Interview________
OMB No. 0648-0597 Exp. Date:
Location of Interview:_________________________________________________
22. Please provide your best estimate for the following trip related expenses last year:
Dive equipment costs:
Fuel/oil:
Ice:
Food/Supplies:
Bait:
Captain wages & salaries (if not owner-captain):
Crew wages & salaries Number: ____
Other (specify) _____________________________________
_____________________________________
_____________________________________

$ _________
$ _________
$ _________
$ _________
$ _________
$ _________
$ _________
$ _________
$ _________
$ _________

23. Please provide your best estimate of your total business revenues last year:
$ __________
24. Please provide your best estimate of your total revenues and/or percent of total revenues
(from Question 23) last year by each geographic area: (See map for definitions of each area)
Northwest Gulf of Mexico Study Area
Area 1
Area 2
Area 3
Area 4
Other Gulf of Mexico not included above

$ ________
$ ________
$ ________
$ ________
$ ________
$ ________

% _____
% _____
% _____
% _____
% _____
% _____

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Date of Interview________
OMB No. 0648-0597 Exp. Date:
Location of Interview:_________________________________________________
PERSON DAYS AND TRIP COSTS
25. Please provide your best estimate of the number person days by type of activity for last year
and the percentage of person days by activity and area. (Interviewer – show map of areas). A
person day is one person for a whole day or any part of a day. 10 people on-board for an
overnight trip would be 20 person days.
Activity
SCUBA diving
Snorkelers
Fishing
Wildlife Observation
All Activities

Total
Persondays

NWGOM
(%)

Area 1
(%)

Area 2
(%)

Area 3
(%)

Area 4
(%)

26. Please provide your best estimate of last years’ number of person days by activity and bank
for the three banks in the current Flower Gardens Bank National Marine Sanctuary.
Activity
SCUBA diving
Snorkelers
Fishing
Wildlife Observation
All Activities

East
Flower
Gardens

West
Flower
Gardens

Stetson

27. Please provide your best estimate of the cost per day for a typical day of operation by
activity.
Activity
SCUBA diving
Snorkeling
Fishing
Wildlife Observation

Fuel/Oil Ice

Bait

Food/
Supplies

Other

Crew

Captain
(if not owner)

28. Please provide the percentage of your person days of operation across each 1-minute by 1minute grid cell for each activity. This is a forward looking rather than just your past activity
patterns. We want to know where you expect you will conduct your activities in the future. This
will be used to assess the possible impacts of expanding the boundaries of the Flower Gardens
Bank National Marine Sanctuary or assessing a possible research only area. All hook-an-line
fishing will be allowed in boundary expansion areas as in the current FGBNMS. All activities
will be eliminated from a research only area. (refer to detailed maps with grid overlays and
nautical chart reference points).
5

Date of Interview________
OMB No. 0648- Exp. Date:
Location of Interview:_________________________________________________
Coding sheet attached.

6

OMB No. 0648-. Expiration date: .
For Hire Dive/Snorkel Operators in NWGOM Part 2.
SOURCES OF INFORMATION AND PERCEPTIONS

5. NOAA has not addressed the concerns of other federal and state governments in
developing rules and regulations for the FGBNMS.

1. Please list the sources of information that you have received in the past on the FGBNMS
and rank the sources in terms of their usefulness. In terms of ranking, please rank only those
sources that you used, and where 1 is the most important source, 2 the second most important
source, and so on.

SOURCE
a. FGBNMS website
b. FGBNMS Staff
c. Sanctuary Advisory Council
d. FGBNMS brochures/literature
e. FGBNMS signage
f. Information in newspapers
g. Radio
h. TV
i. Word of mouth

Sources
Used
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____

RANK
Sources
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______

For the next set of questions, please provide your answer on a 1 to 5 scale, where 1 means
Strongly agree, 2 means Moderately agree, 3 means Neutral, 4 means Moderately
disagree, and 5 means Strongly disagree

1

2

3

4

5

I don’t know

6. NOAA has not addressed the concerns of individual citizens in developing rules and
regulations for the FGBNMS.
1

2

3

4

5

I don’t know

7. Once that the FGBNMS regulations have been in effect, there has been no way that the
average person to voice his/her opinion on the usefulness of the regulations.
1

2

3

4

5

I don’t know

8. The procedures that NOAA has established to deal with violations of FGBNMS
regulations have been fair and just.
1

2

3

4

5

I don’t know

NOTES
2. The process that NOAA has used to develop rules and regulations for the FGBNMS was
open and fair to all groups.
1

2

3

4

5

I don’t know

3. The process has used by NOAA to develop boundaries and regulations for the FGBNMS
zones was open and fair to all groups.
1

2

3

4

5

I don’t know

4. It has not mattered whether the average person participated in the workshops and
meeting on the FGBNMS because the average person could not influence the final decisions.
1

2

3

4

5

I don’t know

OMB No. 0648-0. Expiration date: .

ATTITUDES ABOUT MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES AND REGULATION
15. I support establishment of boundary expansion of FGBNMS for the banks in AREA 3.
In this section, we want to know what you think about current and proposed management
strategies in the FGBNMS, the effects of those management strategies and regulations, and
how you think the FGBNMS management has performed.
In management plan review public scoping and Sanctuary Advisory Council meetings,
FGBNMS is thinking about expanding its current boundaries and creating a research only
area. For boundary expansion, there are a number of alternatives, but all would extend the
current regulations in FGBNMS to the boundary expansion areas. Hook-and-line fishing is
currently allowed in the FGBNMS. For the research only area, all activities would be
prohibited. See map of areas proposed for potential boundary expansion.

1

3

4

5

I don’t know

16. I support establishment of boundary expansion of FGBNMS for the banks in AREA 4.
1

2

3

4

5

I don’t know

17 I support establishment of a research only area on Stetson bank.
1

For the next set of questions, please provide your answer on a 1 to 5 scale, where 1 means
Strongly agree, 2 means Moderately agree, 3 means Neutral, 4 means Moderately
disagree, and 5 means Strongly disagree

2

2

3

4

5

I don’t know

18. I support establishment of a research only area on East Flower Garden Bank.
1

2

3

4

5

I don’t know

9. I support the FGBNMS as it is currently established.
1

2

3

4

5

I don’t know

10. I support the establishment of a research only area in the FGBNMS.
1

2

3

4

5

I don’t know

11. A research only area in the FGBNMS would have a positive impact on the marine
environment.
1

2

3

4

5

2

3

4

5

I don’t know

13. I support establishment of boundary expansion of FGBNMS for the banks in AREA 1.
1

2

3

4

5

I don’t know

14. I support establishment of boundary expansion of FGBNMS for the banks in AREA 2.
1

2

3

4

5

1

2

3

4

5

I don’t know

20. Boundary expansion of the FGBNMS would have a positive impact on the marine
environment.
1

2

3

4

5

I don’t know

I don’t know

12. There should be more than one bank set aside as a research only area in the FGBNMS.
1

19. I support establishment of a research only area on West Flower Garden Bank.

I don’t know

21. The Stetson, East & West Flower Garden Banks have benefited environmentally from
management by the FGBNMS.
1

2

3

4

5

I don’t know

22. There has been a net economic benefit to the coastal Texas economy from the
establishment of the FGBNMS.
1

2

3

4

5

I don’t know

OMB No. 0648-0. Expiration date: .

23. Dive Operators have benefited from the establishment of the FGBNMS.
1

2

3

4

5

I don’t know

24. FGBNMS regulations have had no effect on my business.
1

2

3

4

5

I don’t know

25. I support the no anchoring regulations in the FGBNMS.
1

2

3

4

5

33. I support the requirement that all Dive vessels fly a Blue and Alpha dive flag.
1
2
3
4
5
I don’t know
34. How much do you estimate it will cost your business per year to comply with this Dive
Flag regulation? $ _______
35. Please rate the status/condition of the following resources at the East & West Flower
Garden Banks and Stetson Bank by their status/condition since the implementation of the
FGBNMS (1996 for East & West flower Garden Banks and 2001 for Stetson Bank), where 1
is much better and 5 is much worse.

I don’t know
Better -------- Worse

RESOURCE
26. I support the current no discharge regulations in the FGBNMS.
1

2

3

4

5

I don’t know

27. I support the current no harvest of bottom formations or taking of invertebrates inside the
FGBNMS.
1

2

3

4

5

I don’t know

28. I support the hook-and-line only fishing regulation in the FGBNMS.
1

2

3

4

5

2

3

4

Water quality

1

2

3

4

5

N/A

b.

Sea-based pollution/marine debris

1

2

3

4

5

N/A

c.

Coral reefs

1

2

3

4

5

N/A

d.

Other bottom habitat

1

2

3

4

5

N/A

e.

Fisheries

1

2

3

4

5

N/A

f.

Mooring buoys

1

2

3

4

5

N/A

g.

Fewer vessel groundings

1

2

3

4

5

N/A

I don’t know

29. I support the no taking of marine mammals and turtles in the FGBNMS.
1

a.

5

I don’t know

36. The FGBNMS is mostly responsible for the status/condition of the resources that you
rated in the previous question.
1

2

3

4

5

I don’t know

30. I support the requirement of using a mooring buoy instead of anchoring in the FGBNMS
with the limit of vessel size for mooring use of 100 feet or less.
1

2

3

4

5

I don’t know

31. I support stricter regulations on discharging of pollutants in the FGBNMS.
1

2

3

4

5

I don’t know

32. I support regulations on minimum distance and speed from vessels flying a Blue and
Alpha Dive Flag.
1

2

3

4

5

I don’t know

37. In which area(s) has the FGBNMS been most successful?
_____________________________________________________________________

38. In which area(s) has the FGBNMS been least successful?
______________________________________________________________________