Comment from Cyril Gonzales

Your decision to close Amberjack during the summer months is not only unnecessary but an insult to the fishermen who harvest this species on a regular basis. Your method for determining if a species is being overfished is FLAWED. One AJ per person is already an extreme measure. I am a diver and I personally see what is in the gulf. The abundance of fish always blows me away. When I talk to fisherman, they are always shocked to hear that more fishing restrictions are coming because the stock is in danger. We all know the populations of AJ and Red Snapper are extremely healthy. Your attempt to protect something that is not in danger is damaging the economy and the morale of all fishermen. If you looked under the gulf you would see a healthy population of the fish you are trying to protect. Click the link below to see just a few of the sites in the gulf teaming with fish. The rigs in Louisiana are already overflowing with Red Snapper, thereby causing a fight for food on the rigs because there are so many of them. A rig can only support so many fish and the insane restrictions Red Snapper alone are now causing a population explosion like I have never seen. Amberjack stocks are healthy, I see it when I dive the rigs. Your 2010 fishing estimates are wrong. Effort was down by 80+% because of the oil spill. One AJ per person is in no way excessive. Please consider the negative impacts of your actions before you elect to protect an abundant species. There is no need to place these restrictions. See the link below of video from several rigs in the gulf. IF you want to protect fish, save their environment by forcing oil and gas companies to leave the rigs in place at the end of their life. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LhxLMcIIsQ Cyril Gonzales Aqua Aces Diving Club, New Orleans.