Surveyors should have access to a tablet device hosting the survey instrument, a fully charged battery pack, GPS with bluetooth capability, charging equipment and precautionary spares. Shifts can be long and therefore field personnel need to be equipped with adequate water, food if necessary, sun protection and or wind barriers/waterproof clothing and toilet access should be considered. Surveyors must possess paper copies of relevant approvals and participant information and consent forms, and adhere to institution specific fieldwork risk assessment and safety protocols (Figure 2). If possible, surveyors should conduct fieldwork in uniform or branded clothing from their research institution.
On a typical day in the field each surveyor will be allocated to a site/shift pre-determined in the sampling plan. Upon arrival at a sampling site, the surveyor will fill out the metadata (template in Appendix 1), including; the researcher conducting the survey, what site are they surveying, start and end time, number of boat trailers (if at a boat ramp) or approximate number of people (if at a beach access point) and any additional comments.
Figure 2: Equipment needed to conduct face-to-face MPA recreational users’ KAP surveys; a) tablet hosting survey instrument and charging cable, b) portable power pack and charging cable, c) bluetooth GPS and charging cable, d) charging equipment, e) folder containing copies of relevant approvals, permits and participant information forms, f) personal protective equipment and uniform, which will vary depending on survey location, climate, and institution specific safety protocols.
Circumstances dictate when to approach potential respondents; avoid interrupting them if they are immediately busy (e.g., tying a boat down) or in an unsafe location (e.g., rock fishing in a slippery location). For boat ramp surveys it is important to be cognisant of the weather conditions and how busy the ramp is. Generally, respondents should be asked to pull up in a wash down bay or a similar out-of-the-way location to complete the survey.
We recommend interactions be initiated with a smile and a conversational question, followed by the surveyor introducing themselves, and briefly outlining the participant information form (template in Appendix 5); describing the research, survey, and ethical protocols that will be followed (e.g., the survey is anonymous, all questions are voluntary and you can withdraw at any time). This should be followed by the informed consent protocols approved by formal human ethics review. A template for paper participant consent forms is provided in Appendix 5, however we don’t recommend their use as it can be challenging to sign in windy coastal conditions. If permitted, it is optimal to obtain verbal consent with the surveyor selecting “Yes” or “No” to a consent question on the survey instrument to maximise survey efficiency, alternatively, respondents can select “Yes” or “No”. Regardless of informed consent protocol, refusuals must be recorded to calculate response rate.
Following consent, surveyors should conduct the survey by reading questions verbally and recording responses. With practice, surveyors will develop the delivery of the questions and elicit responses in a conversational manner.