Contact: Quinn Weninger weninger@iastate.edu
My colleagues and I at Iowa State University and the University of Alaska Fairbanks are conducting a study of Alaskan Halibut fishermen. The goal of this study is to learn more about how people make important decisions in risky environments.
Below is some information on the study. I invite you to contact me with any other questions you have. Methods of reaching me are at the bottom of this web page.
Quinn Weninger
Associate Professor of Economics
Iowa State University
- Why study Alaskan Halibut fishermen?
- Who can participate in this study?
- What will study participants be asked to do?
- What kinds of questions are you going to ask?
- Why should I do this? What's in it for me?
- When will this project take place?
- What happens to my information? Will my answers be kept confidential?
- Who is conducting this research?
- What are you going to do with this information?
- Who is paying for all of this?
- Who do I contact for more information?
- I'm interested! How do I sign up?
- Troubleshooting FAQ
Why study Alaskan Halibut fishermen?
Alaskan Halibut fishermen live and work in an environment that is full of both uncertainty and risk. They are required to make split-second decisions based on their knowledge and experience in circumstances that can involve unpredictable danger. And these kinds of decisions recur in each of the many fishing trips conducted throughout every halibut season. This combination of consistent activity, high risk, and instant decision-making is rare; and it makes the Alaskan Halibut Fishermen an ideal population for studying "Decision-Making in Uncertain Circumstances."
There are many sources of uncertainty in the fishing industry, however our focus will be the uncertainty surrounding halibut stock abundance and the corresponding catch per skate, or CPUE. We will record halibut fishermen's beliefs about the CPUE that they expect on fishing trips taken during the 2006 and 2007 seasons. This and other data will enable the researchers to learn how expectations are formed, how choices are made, and how the level of risk affects the decision-making process.
Who can participate in this study?
In order to participate in the study, you must be the skipper of a vessel that will make at least 5 halibut fishing trips in area 3A or area 3B during both the 2006 and 2007 halibut fishing seasons.
We are looking for volunteers who are interested in participating in this very interesting project in both 2006 and 2007. No one is required to participate and there are no penalties of any kind for not participating.
What will study participants be asked to do?
Halibut fishing boat skippers will be asked to answer a series of questions before and after each halibut fishing trip during the 2006 and 2007 fishing seasons. This will involve the following steps:
- Each skipper will be given a hand-held computer, also called a personal digital assistant (PDA) so that the skipper can record anwers to short surveys before and after each trip. The questions will be displayed on the PDA, and skippers will simply record their answers in the spaces indicated on the PDA. The PDA is simple to use and reduces the time required to answer the survey questions.
- Before each halibut fishing trip, skippers will answer a series of questions on the PDA about their trip expectations regarding CPUE, weather conditions, and other factors. Answering these questions is expected to take about 15 minutes.
- After each trip is completed, participants will take another 10-15 minutes to answer another set of questions on the PDA about what actually happened on the trip, as well as some information such as trip revenues, and fuel and bait costs.
- Each skipper will also be given a GPS recording device. Skippers will be asked to plug this device into a standard electrical outlet in their vessel's cabin during each halibut fishing trip. This device will record the location of the vessel throughout the trip.
- All data provided by skippers will be kept completely confidential. The survey responses and locations will be kept in a secure computer location and will not be released in any way by the researchers.
What kinds of questions are you going to ask?
Before each trip, survey questions will include items like expected wind speeds and wave heights for the trip, pounds of halibut per skate expected, how the fishing sites were chosen, and the chances that the CPUE at the sites will be zero. The questions after each trip will ask about what actually happened on the trip — such as the weather conditions, fuel use, halibut revenues, and the reasons for any changes in the choice of fishing sites.
Why should I do this? What's in it for me?
We recognize that skippers are already very busy. Because of this, skippers will receive $500 for each year of participation to thank them for the time taken to collect the data. That will be a total of $1,000 for two years of participation. If you participate in both the 2006 and 2007 halibut seasons, you will also be allowed to keep your PDA.
When will this project take place?
We want to identify interested skippers now. The survey will begin at the start of the next halibut fishing season, in March 2006, and last until the end of the halibut season. Then the project will be repeated beginning in March 2007. There are no plans to continue the project beyond 2007.
What happens to my information? Will my answers be kept confidential?
First of all, it is important for you to know that individual responses, the names of project participants, and GPS data will never be identified or released in any way by the researchers.
In addition, the information you provide will be identified by a code number, not by your name or any identifying information.
The location information collected by the GPS unit will be used to calculate distances traveled, and the exact locations of your fishing activities will never be released in any form. The purpose of the study is not to identify productive fishing locations but to examine the differences between what you expect to happen on the trip and what actually happens.
The information that is gathered from the PDA surveys and GPS devices will be managed by the Iowa State University Center for Survey Statistics and Methodology. The Center has been conducting confidential survey research since 1938, and is responsible for the PDA, GPS, and survey data systems on this project. The Center has a history of protecting survey data and confidential locations. For example, as part of the National Resources Inventory, the Center protects the confidentiality of roughly 800,000 geographic coordinates that represent sampling locations across the US. For all research conducted at the Center, strict confidentiality and data security procedures are of the highest importance.
During the course of a project, it is necessary for the staff to keep records that identify who is providing what information. This is important in case some type of follow-up is needed. However, this identifying information is kept in secure computer systems and in locked facilities. After the data collection is completed, all names and identifying information are removed from people's responses. The final information is analyzed and reported in summary form only. Your answers are safe, secure, and completely confidential.
Who is conducting this research?
Several well-respected, experienced researchers at Iowa State University and the University of Alaska Fairbanks are coordinating this project. They are listed below. The research staff is assisted by Iowa State University's Center for Survey Statistics and Methodology.
Quinn Weninger, PhD
Department of Economics
Iowa State University.
Currently on leave at the University of Washington.
Email: weninger@iastate.edu
Philippe Marcoul, PhD
Department of Economics
Iowa State University.
Email: marcoul@iastate.edu
Gary Wells, PhD
Department of Psychology
Iowa State University.
Terry Quinn II, PhD
Juneau Center
School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences
University of Alaska Fairbanks.
What are you going to do with this information?
The results from this study will help us better understand how people make choices in uncertain and risky situations. This kind of information will be extremely helpful to people who work in high-stress occupations, their employers, and organizations that function as support systems for these people in varying capacities.
Who is paying for all of this?
The funding for this project is provided by the National Science Foundation.
Who do I contact for more information?
If you have any questions about this project, please contact Quinn Weninger. Quinn is visiting the University of Washington through May 2006 and will return to Iowa State in June 2006. He can be reached by email at weninger@iastate.edu. He can also be reached by telephone at 206-437-7374.
I'm interested! How do I sign up?
If you would like to participate in this project, please send an email message to Quinn Weninger at weninger@iastate.edu or telephone 206-437-7374.