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To whom it may concern:

My name is James McDaniels and I have been the owner/operator of
the passenger Sportfishing vessel Grande for 17 years. The Grande
is an 85 foot, purpose built Sportfishing boat, known as one of the
higher capacity boats designed specifically for Sportfishing in the
state. It was built right here in Southern California in 1963 and
has offered a tradition of dependable service every year since its
launch, primarily in the San Diego region. We routinely take as
many as 50 people at a time out for a day of Sportfishing and offer
12 hour trips which are on the shorter side when it comes to
average length of fishing trips. These are the trips that are
perfect for families and typically referred to as an entry level
trip where new people are exposed to the sport of fishing. During
the summer, the trip participants are often tourists, coming to
California from all over the nation and the world. The fishing trip
is usually just a part of their visit, which typically includes
hotel stays, restaurants and is a benefit to other surrounding
business. 

I bought the Grande in 2004 and after my first two years in
business I participated in my first ever engine repower program
through the Air Pollution Control District of San Diego. We took
out tier zero Detroit Diesel engines from the 1980's and installed
tier two John Deere diesels which at the time were the most modern
technology available. 

In 2015 I participated in the program again. This time we took out
our set of tier zero auxiliary engines which generate electricity
for the vessel and repowered them with tier three new technology. 

The reason I feel compelled to talk about this is I feel there is a
false narrative that portrays us fishermen as not wanting to
comply, being resistant to change. This couldn't be more untrue.
I'm proud of the contribution we've made to the states air quality
by participating twice in the program and I'm looking forward to
participating again. As soon as the technology exists that is safe
to use in our vessels, I will be the first one to apply for my
third repower.

I own one of a few extremely unique vessels, a true piece of
Southern California history, designed and built specifically for
its use. Its made of wood, the engine spaces are small and not
designed to accommodate the soon to be mandated equipment. Altering
it is not an option. Simply put, these mandates in their current
form will be the end of Grande Sportfishing and the death of the
vessel that has served this community with pride for 58 years. I
can't put equipment in this boat that poses a fire hazard and I can
put equipment in this boat that takes up significantly more space
than the existing equipment. It just won't work.

I am a proud California business owner, I employee a crew of seven
year round and we care about California's air quality. I'm looking
forward to continuing our emissions reduction contributions just as
soon as the technology is available.

Thank you,

James McDaniels
owner/operator
Grande Sportfishing, Inc.
2803 Emerson St
San Diego, CA 92106