| NOAA is conducting a survey to assess the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on our nation’s commercial and for-hire fishing operations and seafood dealers/processors.This nationwide survey will be used to inform NOAA, the Department of Commerce, Congress, fishery managers and stakeholders about the economic and social impacts the pandemic has had on the fishing industry.
Commercial fishermen and fishing-dependent businesses in the shrimp industry have been randomly selected to complete this survey.
The responses to this survey are critically important for the federal government to get an accurate understanding of the full and true impacts of the pandemic on your business and our industry as a whole.
We understand that each selected participant was mailed a letter in June with specific instructions on how to complete the survey, and that they will receive a reminder postcard this week.
SSA urges all survey recipients to PLEASE fill out this survey.
The results of this survey will provide an extremely important basis for the federal government to design the most effective programs for mitigating the impacts of the pandemic on your business and the shrimp industry as a whole.
We understand the survey takes less than 6 minutes to complete, and we are assured that the information provided is strictly confidential and only used to analyze the impacts of the pandemic on the fishing industry.
Again, we know this is a busy time, but your responses to this survey could make a big difference to our industry.
Finally, NOAA has asked us to make clear that your participation in this survey has no connection to the current efforts by the States to disburse the $300 million in fisheries assistance funding provided by Congress earlier this year through the CARES Act.
Thank you –
John Williams,
Executive Director |
