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Commercial Fisheries News
Volume 36 Number 9
May 2009
CFN readers respond: And the survey says ...
When we launched our first-ever Commercial Fisheries News online reader survey a few months ago, it was with much anticipation and just a bit of trepidation.
Would anyone respond? What would they say? Would the responses confirm our understanding of who CFN readers are and their likes and dislikes? Or would we be in for a few surprises?
Respond you did, in numbers that far surpassed our expectations. And the responses were both reassuring and revealing in some unexpected ways.
First, we learned that the majority of CFN readers are in step with the fishing community as a whole in terms of age. Based on survey responses, about 40% are between 36 and 50 years old and another 25% are 51 or older.
But we also found that nearly 35% of CFN readers are 35 and under. Considering social trends that show younger people moving away from reading traditional newspapers and widespread fishing industry concerns about the need to engage younger fishermen, we took this as a good sign that CFN remains useful and relevant to industry members of all ages.
Our readers, the survey said, also are overwhelmingly comprised of working fishermen. A full 84% of respondents identified themselves as fishermen, boat owners, and/or crewmen.
This is important to us. Since our founding more than 35 years ago, CFN has existed principally as a forum to help connect fishermen to each other and to the regulatory and management process. And we have strived to provide a place for fishermen’s points of view to be heard.
The amount of information available these days is overwhelming. Industry people are constantly pummeled with news flashes from the Internet, e-mail campaigns, TV and radio broadcasts, newsletters, and waterfront chatter.
However, CFN provides a unique service, and we were gratified to see that our readers clearly appreciate it.
We do not recycle news. The bulk of our content is the product of original reporting. We maintain a rigorous distinction between news reporting and editorializing. We provide careful analysis and clear translations of complicated management actions that affect fishermen trying to make a living.
We wondered what you were reading in the pages of CFN each month. Along the Coast, the Enforcement Report, and boat coverage all topped the list as reader favorites. Anything concerning lobsters and our industry classifieds followed close behind.
Our groundfish, scallop, and New England Fishery Management Council stories also scored high among reader preferences. The experience, approach, and insight we bring to this in-depth coverage clearly is unique.
Still, while supportive of the job we do, our readers also told us we need to do more.
A few said what we intuitively knew – that with all of the “heavy news” in the paper, it would be nice to see more upbeat stories, more people, faces, and places. We’re on it.
More than a few of you expressed frustration with mail delivery of your CFN. We are acutely aware of this ongoing problem and ask you to bear with us while we keep trying to fix it.
Finally, we clearly recognize that, despite the great response to our online survey, many of you who are less “web-connected” did not get a chance to participate. We value your input, too, and will be including a print version of the survey in CFN later this year for you to fill out and return by mail.
We end with a word of thanks to all of you – our readers, advertisers, and friends of the paper. We are all taking stock, making adjustments, and implementing new strategies these days to meet the current economic challenges. We always welcome your questions and suggestions and we very much appreciate your support. /cfn/
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