For Release: August 21, 1997

Contact: Richard Sisson 277-3075 or 789-3094

Stephanie Powell 277-2771 ext. 4418

PROVIDENCE - The RI Department of Environmental Management has announced that as of noon Tuesday, August 26 the sale or attempted sale of striped bass by commercial fishermen except those who land their catch with floating fish traps will not be allowed.

Allocations to commercial harvesters, based on gear type, are established by the RI Marine Fisheries Council, and monitored by DEM's Division of Fish and Wildlife. The Division has projected that the quota in all but the floating trap sector of the fishery will be filled by August 26. It is closing the fishery to all other commercial fishermen to prevent overharvesting of the 95,000 pound allocation established for Rhode Island by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission.

Striped bass have made a comeback in Atlantic coastal waters after a long period of being overfished. "Restoration is in part a result of strict adherence to management tools such as quotas, possession limits, and minimum sizes," said John A. Stolgitis, Chief of DEM's Division of Fish and Wildlife, in making the announcement. "If we are to successfully manage the restored stocks of this highly prized species, we are required to impose strict limits on overall harvest to curtail the destructive harvesting practices of the past."

The ban does not affect recreational fishermen.