Comment from Thomas Williams

As the captain/operator of a dual permitted Gulf of Mexico Reef Fish Vessel of course I'm all for the increased crew size of one person. This extra hand on deck allows for the other operator to catch some much needed sleep which is a big safety issue when operating 24 hours a day. And as for the income requirement most of us in the commercial fishing industry have no problem meeting this. By allowing the operator of a dual permitted vessel to earn extra income outside of the industry I think that is just the American way, most of my deckhands have two or three other jobs to make ends meet in this stressful economy. As all fisherman know we can't fish 365 days a year due to weather and other family issues which would make it nice to have a 9 to 5 after our small quoats have been caught and sold or the non-quota fishing seasons have been closed due that quota being met Gulf wide. Captain Tommy Williams Great Escape II Charters, LLC