Vessel cost and earnings (C&E) survey
Current status: Closed
This survey will run in January 2026.
In cooperation with the British Columbia Seafood Alliance (BCSA) and the B.C. Commercial Fishing Caucus (CFC), we are conducting a survey of the costs and earnings of the Pacific commercial fishing fleet. This is to ensure that we are using the most current information about the financial health of the Pacific commercial fishing fleet.
We began conducting surveys to gather this information in the late 1990s until 2004, when declining response rates produced unreliable results. Since that time, consultants have been producing fleet financial profiles by carrying out interviews and working from collected fishing data by licence holder on an as-needed basis. However, the department and representatives of the commercial fishing sector recognize the need for robust, consistent fleet financial data to better inform fishery management decisions.
Join in: How to participate
Listed owners of commercial fishing vessels will receive an email from PRA Inc. with your link to access the survey January 2026. This link is unique to you.
Privacy notice
We have hired PRA Inc., an independent consulting company, to contact you by email and conduct this online survey on our behalf. Your vessel number and contact information (i.e. your name, address, email, phone) will not be provided to us with your responses. PRA Inc. has extensive experience designing and conducting online surveys.
Your responses will remain strictly confidential and will be protected in accordance with the provisions of the federal Privacy Act. In practical terms, this means that this information will be stored in a format and on a secured network that allows your identity to remain anonymous. The information you provide will not be stored on a web server, but in a secured database. Information on expenditures will not be linked to an individual or household. Information security is provided by PRA Inc., which has its own rigorous security measures in place.
Who is the focus of this survey
The survey is being sent out to all commercial fishing vessel owners in B.C., regardless of whether the fishing activities are operated by the owner or by a captain that is hired by the owner.
What is the focus of this survey
Vessel owners will be asked about the fishing operations conducted by their vessel, whether or not those operations are carried out by the vessel owner or by a hired captain.
If you own more than one fishing vessel, you will be asked to complete the survey for one vessel only, which will be randomly selected and specified in the email. However, should you wish to provide information for additional vessels, this option is available.
Please report your best estimate for costs and earnings if you do not have the exact amounts as reported in your tax forms.
The objective of this survey is to collect information on fishing revenues, time spent fishing, operating expenses, and any investment in vessels and gear for fishing enterprises in all regions. Commercial fisheries continue to be a significant contributor to the provincial economy and the social fabric of numerous communities in B.C. We rely on current information about the profitability and cost structures of fishing enterprises; up-to-date information allows us to more accurately assess how changes in the fisheries could affect vessel owners.
We will use the information we gather from this online survey to develop financial models of B.C. fishing fleets, similar to those presented by Nelson in 2011, among others. These models help us to determine how our management decisions concerning fisheries and marine spaces affect the economy, as well as fleets, harvester incomes, communities, and the provincial economy. A high response rate may also reveal fisheries that have diversified into unique licence groupings.
Once analyzed, the information we receive from this survey will be shared on our website. Information that you provide will only be presented in aggregate form, ensuring that no individual or their commercial fishing operation can be identified.
Contact us
Email: iSEA@dfo-mpo.gc.ca
Related links
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