Comment from Ed Walker

Id like to express my full support for both rules that NOAA is seeking comment on with Amendment 34. I am a 21 year veteran charter captain, as well as a permitted Gulf commercial fisherman. I am a dual permitted vessel and the current 3 person crew restriction greatly hinders my operation, which includes commercial diving, for very little purpose. Todays rigorous VMS requirements have effectively eliminated any chance an operator could run illegal charter/commercial combo trips. Therefore, there is no legitimate reason to have a crew size restriction on dual permitted vessels when they: are officially declared commercial when leaving the dock, monitored by enforcement 24/7, checked by enforcement at sea all the time, must provide 3 hours advance landing notification, only land at NOAA approved locations, can only catch the quota share they hold, offload only at commercial fishhouses-often with enforcement overseeing, and cannot take a fish off the boat for personal usage. After jumping through all those hoops, should the same operator face federal charges for simply bringing an extra person onboard to help out? The rule is outdated. I commend the Council for realizing that and approving increasing the crew size limit. It’s the right thing to do. I fully support its implementation. I also support elimination the income requirement for permit renewals. Capt. Ed Walker