Comment from Dan MacMahon

After studying the new 35F bottom longlining boundry lines, it appears that under the current boundry lines, longlining will be allowed on the middle and the lower part of the area called the "Elbow". This area is a ridge of high structure, made up of limestone rock with some peaks rising 30 feet or more. This area is also much shallower than the required minimum of 210 feet for longlining. Depths in this area range from roughly 160 to 190 feet of water. This area needs protection from this destructive gear. Bottom longlining has no place in a high relief area such as this. The boundry lines need to be adjusted to stay outside this area. This would simply require that the 35f minimum depth lines be adhered to, which would curve around this shallower area. Simply running a straight line between two points is what is causing this problem and it needs to be addressed.