PROVIDENCE - The Department of Environmental Management has announced that the commercial possession limit for summer flounder and scup will be lowered beginning tomorrow, Tuesday, May 16. The decrease in possession limit from 300 to 100 pounds in the fluke fishery, and from 1000 to 100 pounds in the scup fishery, is a direct result of higher than anticipated weekly landings this month. Increased landings of both species are due in part to seasonal inshore migrations of both species, which make them more readily available to local fishermen.

In addition to decreasing the possession limit for scup, DEM will close the commercial scup fishery from May 17 through June 30 for all gear types except floating traps. Based on current catch rates, Rhode Island's May-June quota for scup will be harvested by May 17.

The reduction in possession limits and closure of the scup fishery are part of an ongoing effort to manage the annual allocation of summer flounder and scup that the State receives from the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission. The action is designed to keep Rhode Island within its assigned quotas while making fish available to commercial fishermen and consumers throughout the entire year.