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Interviews with Fishermen

Trip Interview Program (TIP)

What is TIP?

Estimates of the age distribution of fish in the population and how the distribution has changed over time is critical information for the assessment of the population. To estimate the age distribution, the Southeast Fisheries Science Center has developed the Trip Interview Program (TIP). Like the other statistics gathering programs, this one is also a joint or cooperative effort with the state fishery agencies in the Southeast Region.

The Trip Interview Program provides:

• size frequency data
• age at length data
• catch per unit effort data
• information on the composition of the species being caught and landed

How is data collected?

The collection of data for this program is conducted by port agents located in coastal area in the South Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico. These field biologists visit docks and fish houses to interview the fishermen and take length and weight samples from their catch. For some trips, the port agents are at the location when the fish are being unloaded and can measure and weigh individual fish as they are being unloaded. At other times, the fish have already been unloaded and the port agent is given permission to measure and weigh a sample of the catch from the storage containers at the fish houses.

The port agents also tries to collect data on the fishing trip. In addition to the length and weight data, they may collect information about:

• fishing area
• type of gear
• quantity of gear
• fishing time, etc.

The port agents also take hard part and tissue samples for some of the fish they measure. These samples are sent to one of two Southeast Fisheries Science Center laboratories for biologists to analyze and determine the age of the fish. The age, along with the length of the fish, are used to determine the age-at-length for a sample of the fish population.

This data is then used to estimate the age distribution for the entire population or stock of the species.

Mission Statement

NOAA Fisheries Service has the responsibility for the stewardship of the Nation's living marine resources. To achieve this mission, it is vital that our fisheries managers are provided with the best possible information. The information consists of many different data parts:

• catch
• effort
• biological
• ecological
• sociological
• economic

The Trip Interview Program was developed by the Southeast Fisheries Science Center (SEFSC) as a shore-based sampling program. TIP helps to:

• collect random size-frequency data
• collect biological samples from commercial marine fisheries, including
  • age
  • reproductive
  • prey
  • genetic data
• provide quality assurance on catch and effort data by validating, through first-hand, trained observation:
  • species composition of catch and type
  • quantity of gear
  • other important information obtained through personal interviews with the fishermen and dealers

The TIP is a major component of the Atlantic Coastal Cooperative Statistics Program (ACCSP) in the southeastern U.S. Atlantic coastal region and the Fisheries Information Network (FIN) in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico coastal region. It also collects data from Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Contacts

• South Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico - David Gloeckner
  
  
• Caribbean and U.S. Virgin Islands - Joshua Bennett

More Information

• TIPonline Web Application *login required
• TIP Software Documentation, Forms, and User Guide
• Migration of Historical TIP data into TIPonline