The test survey resulted in firm proposals for the content and execution of the pilot project survey in the Northern Province. The consultant proposes that that survey be a combination of two surveys: “Current Situation and Outlook” and the “Fish-Farmer”.
The test survey showed that the interviews were feasible and that fish-farmers cooperated willingly. On no occasion did a respondent terminate the interview; all lasted for the time desired by the interviewer. This confirmed the strategy of maintaining the rather detailed questioning, based on the considerations stated above, but also on the fact that the survey is relatively expensive in terms of time, equipment and manpower, and that therefore the time provided by the fish-farmer ought to be used to extract as much potentially useful information as possible.
The “Current Situation and Outlook” survey, as defined after the test survey, will yield information about:
recent production;
current fish-farming;
problem areas;
expected production from current production period;
location of areas where expansion seems feasible and;
farmers with abandoned ponds.
This information is collected in a 6-page questionnaire containing about 70 data entries. It is the consultant's opinion that it is possible to complete this questionnaire in about half an hour, including the visit to the ponds if these are less than 1 km from points of access by vehicle. The questions are so phrased that they should be able to be completed by any fish scout. An understanding of fish culture practices is essential for those parts of the questionnaire which deal with problem identification. The questionnaire can be analysed manually.
Appendix 1 contains the questionnaire together with “Instructions for enumerators”, and a “List of Terms used”.
The Fish-Farmer survey will provide information about:
the social and economic status of the average fish-farmer;
his considerations when making major decisions about his fish-ponds, and;
some information about his interaction with the Department of Fisheries.
The survey will provide this information for three categories of fish-farmers: the practising, the former, and the potential fish-farmer. For each of these categories separate questionnaires have been designed. They contain the following information:
| Practising | Former | Potential |
| Identity of respondent | Identity of respondent | Identity of respondent |
| Decision to modify | Decision to abandon | Decision to consider |
| Decision to start | Decision to start | Decision to start |
The questionnaires are reproduced in Appendix 5, together with “Instructions for Enumerators”.
The longest set of questions is that addressed to the practising fish-farmer. The interviewer needs about 1 ½ hours to complete it.
The consultant recommends that the questionnaires be used by staff at the aquaculturist level, that is, by aquaculture staff who have some academic training. They should preferably work in tandem with a colleague who has an academic background in at least one social science.
Neither the time available, nor the number of interviews completed, justified an attempt at a full-scale analysis of the information collected.
