WE are nearing 1,500 "votes" for this online petition "FREE THE OCKLAWAHA RIVER BY THE BREACHING OF RODMAN DAM" -- "Source to the Sea" from Silver Springs to the St. Johns River estuary. THANK YOU to all but WE aren't finished yet! The photo of "Bertram" the manatee swimming in the Ocklawaha River near Eureka, FL was taken by Captain Erika Ritter (while with the "Ocklawahaman") on 23 April 2011 at 1:39 pm EDT. "Manatees of the Ocklawaha River, Florida" webpage report at: https://sites.google.com/site/ocklawahaman/manatees-of-the-ocklawaha-river-fl While bass fishing from my canoe on Wednesday 6 July 2016, I observed a single manatee (a juvenile about 8 feet long moving upstream) at 3:20 PM EDT within river mile 36 (2-3 miles upriver of the Eureka Hwy-316 Bridge between Piney Island and Sunday Bluff) of the Ocklawaha River. Whenever Captain Erika Ritter or the "Ocklawahaman" observes a manatee on the Ocklawaha or Silver Rivers, the sighting information is transmitted to both the FL FWC and the "Save the Manatee Club" for logs that those two organizations maintain. LARGEMOUTH BASS, A FEW FACTS ABOUT THE BIGGEST FLORIDA CATCHES: In 1969, before the advent of overweight California-caught transplanted Florida-strain bass, "Field & Stream" magazine (which officially maintained the fishing records) reported that only 3 largemouth bass weighing over 19 pounds had ever been officially DOCUMENTED since record keeping began in 1911. Those 3 bass were: (1) 22 pounds 4 ounces by George Perry in 1932 from Montgomery Lake (a natural oxbow of the Ocmulgee River), Telfair County, Georgia; (2) 20 pounds 2 ounces by "Fritz" Friebel in 1923 from Big Fish Lake, Pasco County, Florida; & (3) 19 pounds 15 ounces by R.E. Lucas in 1927 from Keystone Lake, Hillsborough County, Florida. The 19-pound largemouth bass was caught by W.A. Witt in 1961 from Lake Tarpon, Pinellas County, Florida. Rodman Reservoir (a.k.a. Lake Ocklawaha or Rodman Pool) has been in existence now since 30 September 1968 -- AND HAS NEVER PRODUCED A FLORIDA (20 lbs +) OR WORLD RECORD (22 lbs+) LARGEMOUTH BASS YET! https://sites.google.com/site/ocklawahaman/all-time-top-25-biggest-fl-largemouth-bass Since that date in 1968, these two LUNKER largemouth bass (among others) have been reportedly caught from other NON-RODMAN parts of the St. Johns / Ocklawaha River basins: 21-lb 3-oz; 33.25 in L; Marion Co; OCKLAWAHA RIVER; 1-2-1975 by Thomas A. Johnson (un-documented: GFC couldn’t certify weight, before it was eaten, although there is a good photo of this extremely long bass very much longer than a 21-inch height Ford pickup tailgate–"...there just wasn’t enough proof that the fish weighed more than the current [1975] 19 1/2-pound record [sic]"). https://sites.google.com/site/ocklawahamanpaulnoscareports/biggest-heaviest-largemouth-bass-ever-from-the-ocklawaha-river-florida 18-lb 13-oz; 29.5 in L; 26.5 in G; Clay Co; ST. JOHNS RIVER; 4-12-1987 by Buddy Wright (documented). https://books.google.com/books?id=CbPoAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA76&lpg=PA76&dq=%22Buddy+Wright%22+%22johns+river%22+%22bass%22+%2218%22&source=bl&ots=qD4aGV9dY_&sig=lz-jXzTbdPkm0Uf-4GThRzgztdw&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiphNvIvvrNAhUCjz4KHRCGCWs4ChDoAQghMAE#v=onepage&q=%22Buddy%20Wright%22%20%22johns%20river%22%20%22bass%22%20%2218%22&f=false The biggest / heaviest largemouth bass EVER REPORTEDLY caught from Rodman Reservoir was: 17-lb 2-oz; 29.75 in L; Lake Ocklawaha (Rodman Reservoir); 3-11-2000 by E.C. "Doodle Bug" Dressler (un-documented). http://jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/031900/spo_2489774.html STREAM-BRED FLORIDA LARGEMOUTH BASS ARE NATIVE TO THE FREE-FLOWING OCKLAWAHA RIVER FOR OVER 1000 YEARS! GET BACK TO THE REAL-FLORIDA! THE OCKLAWAHA RIVER IS SPECIAL -- SET IT FREE! FROM ITS SUPREME SOURCE TO THE SEA! ALL SPRING-FED SWIFT-FLOWING 56 CROOKED MILES OF MAINSTREAM! FROM ITS SILVER SPRINGS SUPREME HEADWATER TO THE ST. JOHNS RIVER ESTUARY! "There are lake fishermen, and there are river fishermen, and seldom do the twain agree!" - Original author's name is unknown. "Ocklawahaman" Paul Nosca's Bass Fishing began in Florida more than 50 Years Ago (1965)! https://sites.google.com/site/ocklawahamanpaulnoscareports/ocklawaha-river-bass-fishing-is-special Thank you to all that have already signed this petition and desire a free-flowing "Source to the Sea" 56-mainstream-mile "Real-Florida-By-God" Ocklawaha River - Silver River - Silver Springs system! Encourage others & spouses &/or significant others to do the same! Thanks for your support! Sincerely, Paul.