Comment from Brian McNamara McNamara

Dear Sirs, I served as a NMFS Fisheries Observer in the California Swordfish and Thresher Shark Fishery from 1994-1996 and again in 2005. I served before during and after implementation of the mandatory usage of hydroacoustic pingers on the cork and lead lines. The pingers reduced marine mammal takes and interactions by nearly 70%. The effectiveness of pingers is well documented in other fisheries. I feel it is important that ANY fish imported from foreign or domestic fisheries using near shore or offshore gillnets (drift nets or set nets) should have mandatory pinger usage and professional observer programs monitoring these fishing vessels. Brian McNamara