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News Release RI Department of Environmental Management 235 Promenade Street, Providence, RI 02908 (401) 222-2771 TDD/(401) 222-4462
DEM ANNOUNCES PUBLIC HEARING ON PROPOSED COMMERCIAL FISHING REGULATIONS PROVIDENCE - The Department of Environmental Management will hold a public hearing on Tuesday, November 27 on proposed amendments to the state's commercial fishing regulations governing quota management of summer flounder and black sea bass.Two options are proposed for each fishery. For summer flounder, the options are to maintain the status quo or to split the summer sub period in two. In 2007, the summer flounder sub-periods were combined into a single sub-period. The proposal to split the sub-period back into two periods, each with its own quota allocation, is an effort to spread any potential fishery closures into two smaller closures rather than the one prolonged closure that took place this year, from late August through October. For black sea bass, the options are to maintain the status quo or to raise the May through July daily possession limit. The current May – July sub-period has a starting possession limit of 100 pounds. The second option would raise this to 200 pounds in an effort to fully-utilize the allocation afforded this sub-period. The proposed regulations are available on DEM's website, www.dem.ri.gov by clicking on "Fish and Wildlife" under "Offices and Divisions", then "Marine Fisheries". They are also available at DEM's Division of Fish and Wildlife offices at 4808 Tower Hill Road in Wakefield and at 3 Fort Wetherill Road in Jamestown. The hearing will take place at 6 p.m. in the Corless Auditorium at the University of Rhode Island's Bay Campus on South Ferry Road in Narragansett. Written comments will be accepted at the hearing, or, by noon on November 27 at the Fort Wetherill office, 3 Fort Wetherill Rd., Jamestown, RI 02835. -30- |
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