PROVIDENCE - Rhode Island is expected to reach its 151,000-pound commercial quota for striped bass today, according to the Department of Environmental Management. As a result, DEM will close the commercial striped bass fishery at 12:01 p.m. on October 5, and commercial fishermen will not be permitted to harvest stripers until the fishery reopens in June of next year.

Every year, Rhode Island receives a quota of striped bass from the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, and manages harvest of that quota to its best advantage. A portion of the quota is allocated to the floating trap fishery; the remainder is allocated by setting possession limits for other harvesters of striped bass. By carefully managing the quota of bass that commercial fishermen are allowed to harvest, this year's fishery remained open three weeks longer than it had in 1998, and almost six weeks more than in 1997.

Quota management has been adopted by the Rhode Island Marine Fisheries Council, with the cooperation of commercial fishermen. It has been successful in helping to restore depleted striped bass stocks along the Atlantic seaboard. Other contributing factors to the increase in the striped bass population have included minimum size limits, restrictions on fishing gear, and measures to protect fish on the spawning grounds.