Comment from Sean Heverin

I am not in favor of longlines for Golden Tilefish. If there are longlines for Golden Tilefish then I would be for the endoresement program. I am in favor of the 500lb trip limit for those who do not qualify for the longline endoresement. I am in favor of the 300lb trip limit for Golden Tilefish once 75% of the ACL is caught up. I would like the allocation of the ACL to be split 50/50 for longliners and hook and line fishermen. I am a S/A Snapper Grouper permit holder (SG1--760) and I am new to the industry. I bought my permit in Dec 2012 and do not have any landings history for Golden Tiles. I plan on targeting them this year but I do not want to be shut out of the fishery due to not having any landing history for the species. I am opposed to any longline gear for bottom fish as it creates an unfair advantage to the few fisherman who hold the endoresements. They also lower the price for the fish in the market because they catch large quantities in a short period of time which floods the market. Already this year and its only Jan 17th the market is already flooded with Golden Tilefish from longliners and the price has dropped for the fish. There should be a smaller trip limit to prevent the price drop and to allocate more of the fishery to hook and line fisherman. The trip limit should be lowered to 500-1000lbs. If the longline endoresement passes I would like to have a 500lb trip limit and a 300lb trip limit when 75% of the ACL is caught up.