2009 Decennial Socio-Economic Survey of the Gulf For-Hire Sector

This survey collected data to generate a comprehensive review of the economic and policy status of the recreational for-hire sector in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, including charter, head, and guide boats. The survey created a socioeconomic dataset that can be used to analyze future economic, environmental, and policy questions, including those related to natural disturbances and the ongoing regulation of resource utilization in the Gulf. The specific project objectives included a) collecting economic, social, and policy data for all segments of the for-hire sector b) identifying groups of respondents with relatively homogeneous characteristics, thereby defining operational classes that may be the focus of targeted, management-based economic and policy analysis and c) constructing costs, earnings, and attitudinal profiles by operational class and state/region. The survey was conducted by mail, internet, and in-person interviews in 2010.