Comment from Monty Hawkins

Recreational fishers must not be held liable for Accountability Measures due to exceeding Annual Catch Limits (quota) until such time as Management is able to provide reasonably accurate catch estimates. MRFSS data needs to be frozen in 7 year averages until MRIP's catch estimates are fully functional. MRFSS catch-estimates have Ocean City, Maryland's tiny private boat fleet --perhaps 20 boats serious about tautog-- catching 23,904 more tautog than ALL the Mid-Atlantic & New England party boats combined in 2007 -- And more than double the entire coast's partyboat catch in 2010. These estimates are so fantastically wrong that they are an embarrassment to all in fisheries--or should be. There are many more like them. Many fisheries are now destabilized in collections of bad catch data. System needs immediate repair via long-term averages while MRIP is finalized. Monty Hawkins