Comment from Bruce Majka, Privite citizen

As a 61 year native Floridian who grew up fishing offshore of Cape Canaveral, Fl., I would like to comment on Amendment 16 which proposes a closed season for both grouper and Vermillion Snapper in the South Atlantic. I don't believe I really object to efforts to protect our National fisheries from over fishing. What I do object too, is a constantly changing over regulation of recreational fishing by people and goverment agency who know little or nothing about what they propose to regulate. Do you really believe that you have any idea about what affects bottom dwelling fish in 50-600' of water in the ocean 10-100 miles offshore? What exactly do you base these actions on? About the only gauge you seem to use is the commercial catch. You keep making ever increasing restrictions without even allowing enough time to elapse to judge the effects of your last regulation. Quite frankly I believe you are clueless and your only real concern is to protect your jobs and continue to build your own little fifedoms. I was fishing offshore recently, or should I say getting ready to fish, as I had not even wet line yet, when I was approached by a 12' RIB inflatable manned by a single person in a T-shirt that said FWC on it. This person came along side without permission or identifing himself and proceeded to ask a million questions including insisting we produce all the boat's safety gear and show our fishing license. When I inquired what his authority was 25 miles offshore, his response was "I better not go there". When I asked how he got so far out on a winter day in an inflatable that seemed hardly suitable for the conditions he pointed to a large military looking vessel he said was his mothership and operated by the Florida FWC. What possible justification could Florida have for maintaining and staffing a vessel of this size? How absurd, what is next, strip searches for having fishing poles aboard? Yes I object to amendment 16, as I said before I believe you are completly clueless what to do to preserve our fish resources and I for one do not recall giving you the authority to restrict fishing offshore. As usual government always overreaches. this will do nothing to save the groupers or the Vermillion snappers, it will just make fishing and boating less enjoyable and further kill the sport. In short Go away and leave me alone! A single person with a rod and reel is never going to have a measurable impact on ocean fishery 30 miles offshore. Bruce R. Majka, Florida resident, veteran, fisherman and boater.