I have always wondered what damage these massive nets might be doing to the shallow waters of the bay. These nets are roughly 60 feet deep and are often fished in water as shallow as 15 or 20 feet, obviously dragging across the seafloor and doing unknown damage to the benthic zone and having unintended bycatch. if this fishery had never been here and showed up tomorrow with these huge nets, would we allow them to net in the bay without first doing an environmental assessment? I think not! Our bay is a very fragile ecosystem, and it does not need further damage from these nets.