DEM ANNOUNCES CHANGES TO MARINE FISHERIES 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:	December 15, 2006
Contact:	Gail Mastrati 222-4700 ext. 2402 Stephanie Powell 222-4700 ext. 4418

DEM ANNOUNCES CHANGES TO MARINE FISHERIES REGULATIONS

PROVIDENCE - The Department of Environmental Management announces that four amendments to commercial and recreational fishing regulations have been filed and will take effect on January 1.

The first alters the commercial management plan for summer flounder by decreasing possession limits during the Winter I fishing period, which runs from January 1 to April 30. Specifically, the daily possession limit will decrease from 700 pounds to 100 pounds; and for participants in the aggregate landing program, the limit will decrease from 5,000 pounds over two weeks to 1,000 pounds per week.

The decreases in the summer flounder possession limits were recommended by industry and the RI Marine Fisheries Council. They are being implemented in response to a significant cut in the coastwide total allowable landings (TAL) limit, mandated by the federal Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson Act). Pursuant to the stock rebuilding requirements set forth by the Magnuson Act, the National Marine Fisheries Service recently set the 2007 TAL for the summer flounder fishery in federal waters at 12.98 million pounds – down, significantly, from the 2006 TAL limit of 23.59 million pounds. And last week, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) moved forward in a consistent manner by approving an initial TAL limit of 12.98 million pounds for all state waters.

In a related development, on December 9 Congress passed the long-awaited reauthorization of the Magnuson-Stevens Act, and the President responded by signaling his intent to sign the reauthorization bill into law. The new Act includes a specific provision relating to the summer flounder fishery – namely, a 3-year extension to the 10-year rebuilding plan, establishing a new deadline of 2013 by which the stock must be fully rebuilt. In accordance with that new provision, the 2007 TAL is expected to increase to 17.11 million pounds. The ASMFC anticipates that this upward adjustment in the quota will occur before March 1, 2007. When that happens, DEM expects to be able to increase the possession limits, proportionately, for the Winter I fishing period, and finalize the commercial regulations for the remainder of the year.

The remaining amendments to the state's marine fishing regulations, also endorsed by the Marine Fisheries Council, promulgate regulations for possession and minimum sizes in state waters for three federally managed species, including:

For monkfish, a commercial and recreation possession limit of 50 pounds of tails per day or 166 pounds of whole fish per day;

For cod, a commercial and recreational possession size limit of 22 inches, a 75 pounds per day limit for commercial fishermen, and a 10 fish per day limit for recreational anglers; and

For sea scallops, a commercial and recreational size limit of 3.5 inches, a possession limit of 40 pounds per day shucked or 5 bushels per day in the shell, and a 10.5 foot maximum dredge size.

These changes bring the state into consistency with the federal rebuilding plans for these three species by setting state waters possession limits consistent with limits afforded by federal incidental catch permits. The action closes a regulatory loophole that existed when state waters possession limits were lacking.

The state's marine fishing regulations can be found in their entirety on DEM's website, www.dem.ri.gov, by clicking on "Regulations", then "Fish and Wildlife", then "Marine Fisheries - Statutes and Regulations".

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