Here's the content of the document being proposed tuesday evening.
Introduced by Council Member Crescimbeni:
RESOLUTION 2009-
A RESOLUTION URGING THE SOUTH ATLANTIC FISHERY MANAGEMENT COUNCIL TO REFRAIN FROM ADOPTING REGULATION AMENDMENTS THAT WOULD HAVE THE EFFECT OF IMPOSING DRASTIC RESTRICTIONS ON SNAPPER-GROUPER FISHING IN FEDERAL WATERS OFF THE FLORIDA COAST BASED ON INCOMPLETE OR INSUFFICIENT SCIENTIFIC INFORMATION; DIRECTING THE CHIEF OF LEGISLATIVE SERVICES TO FORWARD A COPY OF THIS RESOLUTION TO THE SOUTH ATLANTIC FISHERY MANAGEMENT COUNCIL; PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE DATE.
WHEREAS, the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council has proposed several amendments to coastal fishing regulations that would have the effect of drastically curtailing, if not entirely eliminating, fishing for red snapper, grouper, tilefish, sea bass, and other deepwater fish for a period of many years in order to combat overfishing and depletion of fish stocks; and
WHEREAS, the fishing industry is an important one to Florida’s economy and the fish caught by that industry are an important part of Florida’s overall food chain and a vital component of the state’s restaurant and tourism industries which provide employment and economic support for hundreds of thousands of workers; and
WHEREAS, while the protection of sustainable fisheries and fish populations is undoubtedly an important function and a national priority, the regulatory means to these important ends should be based on the best available scientific data and a true understanding of the actual conditions of the fish populations, their overall abundance, reproductive rates, average lifespan, and other factors that determine the sustainability of fish stocks; and
WHEREAS, legitimate questions have been raised by numerous parties about the quality and sufficiency of the data upon which the current proposed regulations are based, and these questions should be resolved to the greatest extent possible by unbiased parties and good quality, peer reviewed science before drastic regulations are implemented that would affect the economic livelihood and quality of life of tens of thousands of Florida’s citizens; now therefore
BE IT RESOLVED by the Council of the City of Jacksonville:
Section 1. That the City of Jacksonville hereby urges the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council to refrain from adopting regulatory amendments that would have the effect of imposing drastic restrictions on snapper-grouper fishing in federal waters off the Florida coast based on incomplete or insufficient scientific information, and urges the Council to commission unbiased experts to assemble the best quality relevant data to determine what regulations are merited to meet the goal of sustainable fisheries.
Section 2. The City Council hereby directs the Council’s Chief of Legislative Services to forward a copy of this adopted resolution to the Chair and the Executive Director of the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council in North Charleston, South Carolina.
Section 3. Effective Date. This Resolution shall become effective upon signature by the Mayor or upon becoming effective without the Mayor's signature.
Form Approved:
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Office of General Counsel
Legislation Prepared By: Jeff Clements, City Council Research
BIG NEWS concerning SAFMC and the Red Snapper Closure 
