DEM TO HOLD OCTOBER 25 PUBLIC HEARING ON PROPOSED CHANGES TO STATE COMMERCIAL FISHING LICENSING REGULATIONS

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News Release
RI Department of Environmental Management
235 Promenade Street, Providence, RI 02908
(401) 222-2771 TDD/(401) 222-4462

For Release:	October 14, 2005
Contact:	Gail Mastrati 222-4700 ext. 2402 Stephanie Powell 222-4700 ext. 4418

DEM TO HOLD OCTOBER 25 PUBLIC HEARING ON PROPOSED CHANGES TO STATE COMMERCIAL FISHING LICENSING REGULATIONS
Proposed Changes Include Recommendation to Issue 49 New Quahog Licenses in 2006

PROVIDENCE - The Department of Environmental Management announces that a public hearing will be held on Tuesday, October 25 on proposed changes to the state's commercial fishing licensing regulations. The hearing will also cover proposed changes to the state's management plans for the shellfish, finfish, and crustacean sectors, upon which the licensing regulations are based. The revised regulations will govern the issuance of licenses and endorsements for the 2006 calendar year.

The hearing will be held at 6 p.m. at the Corless Auditorium at the University of Rhode Island's Bay Campus on South Ferry Road in Narragansett. The hearing will include a presentation on the proposed changes by DEM staff. The hearing will be followed by a meeting of the RI Marine Fisheries Council for the purpose of adopting a recommendation to the DEM Director, W. Michael Sullivan, on the proposed changes.

With regard to the quahog fishery, DEM is proposing to maintain the 3:1 exit/entry ratio and, in accordance with that ratio, issue 49 new quahog endorsements on commercial fishing licenses for 2006. The proposal is based on the most recent stock assessment for the Narragansett Bay quahog resource, which found that biomass has been relatively constant since the mid 1990s, while fishing mortality rates have dropped over the past six years. Accordingly, DEM finds that the fishery can withstand a modest increase in effort through the issuance of new quahog endorsements. Applying the 3:1 ratio to the 146 principal effort license holders eligible to fish for quahogs who did not renew in 2005 results in the proposed availability of 49 new quahog endorsements for 2006.

DEM is also proposing to increase the basic harvest level for quahogs in all management areas, applicable to holders of commercial fishing licenses with quahog endorsements, student shellfish licenses, and over 65 shellfish licenses, from a daily possession limit of 1.5 bushels per day to 3 bushels per day.

With regard to the finfish fisheries, DEM is not proposing to issue any new restricted finfish endorsements for 2006. Although in 2005 there was a modest decrease in renewals of licenses eligible to fish for restricted finfish, the quotas allocated to Rhode Island for several of the major species in the category (scup, black sea bass, and summer flounder) are slated for reductions in 2006. To guard against increasing effort on decreasing quotas, DEM is proposing to hold the line on new entry into the restricted finfish fisheries.

With regard to the lobster fishery, DEM is also not proposing to issue any new lobster endorsements for 2006. The local lobster resource is overfished and has undergone a decline in abundance and fishery performance. Regional mandates are obligating Rhode Island to impose significant restrictions on current license holders. These factors underlie DEM's recommendation not to issue any new licenses in the lobster fishery at this time.

The draft regulations also include proposed changes relating to the upgrading of licenses; the process for achieving priority status for those seeking new licenses; the basis for obtaining a new license by a family member or crew member of an active license holder who is retiring; and the basis for obtaining a new license upon the sale of a vessel and gear by an active license holder who is retiring. Specifically, the proposed changes would:

Delete the 50-day provision from the "actively fishing" and "actively participating" standards;

Allow student shellfish license holders to automatically transition to commercial fishing licenses with quahog endorsements after actively fishing for two years or more;

Allow commercial fishing license holders to upgrade to principal effort licenses after actively fishing for two years or more;

Refine the first-tier priority status category for new endorsements on commercial fishing licenses by limiting it to license holders already fishing in the same fishery sector for which a new endorsement is sought; and shift other license holders already fishing in other sectors into the second-tier priority status category;

Allow any qualified family member or crew member of a license holder who has been actively fishing and is retiring to obtain a new commercial fishing license in the same fishery(s) that was/were being fished by the retiree; and

Expand the pool of individuals eligible to obtain a new license upon the sale of a vessel and gear to include principal effort license holders and crew members.

The draft regulations also include a number of proposed clarifications and technical adjustments to the licensing regulations.

The draft regulations and management plans are available on DEM's website, www.dem.ri.gov, by clicking on "Marine Fisheries" under "Topics", and then clicking on the applicable buttons at the left side of the page. Copies of the documents are also available at DEM's Division of Fish and Wildlife in the Stedman Government Center in Wakefield and at the Division's marine fisheries office at Fort Wetherill in Jamestown.

In lieu of submitting comments at the hearing, written comments may be submitted to DEM's Division of Fish and Wildlife, 3 Fort Wetherill Rd., Jamestown, RI 02835 no later than 12 p.m. on October 25, 2005.

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