Marine Fisheries Minimum Sizes & Possession Limits Minimum sizes are measured for Total Length (TL) [TL is from tip of snout to tip of tail] Rev. 9/18/2023 Commercial Fisheries "Restricted finfish" indicated in red font. Possession limits and open fisheries are subject to change. To participate in commercial fisheries a Rhode Island commercial fishing license and appropriate endorsements are required. For current COMMERCIAL POSSESSION LIMITS call 423-1920 SPECIES MINIMUM SIZE SEASON CURRENT COMMERCIAL POSSESSION LIMIT American Eel 9" Closed 9/1 - 12/31for any gear other thanbaited pots or spears No limit American Plaice (dab) 12" 1/1 - 12/31 No limit American Shad NA 1/1 - 12/31 Prohibited in state waters Atlantic Salmon NA 1/1 - 12/31 Prohibited in state waters Atlantic Sturgeon NA 1/1 - 12/31 Prohibited in state waters Black Sea Bass 11" Sub-Periods 1/1 - 4/30 5/1 - 6/30 7/1 - 8/15 8/16 - 9/15 9/16 - 10/15 10/16 - 12/31 100 lbs/vsl/day Bluefish 18" 1/1 - 4/30 5/1 - 11/14 11/15 - 12/31 6,000 lbs/vsl/wk Cod 19" 5/1 - 4/30 1,000 lbs/vsl/day Coastal Sharks- Smoothhound No minimum 1/1 - 12/31 Unlimited Coastal Sharks- Non-Blacknose Small Coastal Sharks Group - Atlantic sharpnose, finetooth, and bonnethead No Minimum 1/1 - 12/31 Unlimited Coastal Sharks- Blacknose No minimum 1/1 - 12/31 Closed Coastal Sharks- Aggregated Large Coastal Sharks Group - Silky, tiger, blacktip, spinner, bull, lemon, nurse No minimum 1/1 - 12/31 55 sharks/vsl/day Coastal Sharks- Hammerhead Group - Scalloped hammerhead, great hammerhead, smooth hammerhead No minimum 1/1 - 12/31 55 sharks/vsl/day Coastal Sharks- Pelagic Shark Group - Shortfin Mako No minimum 1/1 - 12/31 Closed Coastal Sharks- Pelagic Group - Porbeagle, common thresher, oceanic whitetip, blue No minimum 1/1 - 12/31 Unlimited Coastal Sharks- Prohibited Shark Group - sand tiger, bigeye, sandtiger, whale, basking, bignose, galapagos, night reed, narrowtooth, caribbean sharpnose, smalltail, atlantic angel, longfin mako, bigeye thresher, sharpnose sevengill, bluntnose sixgill, blacknose, bigeye sixgill NA 1/1 - 12/31 Prohibited Coastal Sharks- Research Shark Group - Sandbar NA 1/1 - 12/31 Prohibited Spiny Dogfish No Minimum 5/1 - 4/30 7,500 lbs/vsl/day Summer Flounder (Fluke) with Exemption Certificate 14" Sub-Periods 1/1 - 4/30 5/1 - 9/15 9/16 -12/31 1,000 lbs/vsl.day without Exemption Certificate 14" Sub-Periods 1/1 - 4/30 5/1 - 9/15 9/16 -12/31 200 lbs/vsl/day Horseshoe Crab Bait Fishery 7" 1/1 - 4/306/1 - 12/31 60 crabs/person/day Horseshoe Crab Biomedical Fishery 7" 1/1 - 12/31 Unlimited Menhaden inside Management Area No Minimum 1/1 - 12/31 Closed Menhaden outside Management Area No Minimum 1/1 - 12/31 120,000 lbs/vsl/day Monkfish 17" whole/ 11" tail 5/1 - 4/30 4,900 lbs/vsl/wk tails or14,259 lbs/vsl/week whole fish Haddock 16" 1/1 - 12/31 No limit Pollock 19" 1/1 - 12-31 No limit Scup General Category9" Sub-Periods 1/1 - 4/30 (fed quota) 5/1 - 9/30 10/1 - 12/31 (fed quota) 10,000 lbs/vsl/wk Floating traps 9" Sub-Periods 1/1 - 4/30 (fed quota) 5/1 - 9/30 10/1 - 12/31 (fed quota) Unlimited Striped bass General Category34" Sub-Periods 5/29 - 7/5 7/6 - 12/31 CLOSED Thurs/Fri/Sat/Sun thru-out Closed Floating traps 26" 4/1 - 12/31 Closed Skate Wing Fishery No Minimun 1/1 - 12/31 35,000 lbs/vsl/wk wings or 79,450 lbs/vsl/wk whole skate Bait Fishery Max Size 23" Sub Periods 5/1 - 7/31 8/1 - 10/31 11/1 - 4/30 25,000 lbs/vsl/day Tautog 16" Sub-Periods 4/1 - 5/31 8/1 - 9/15 10/15 - 12/31 Closed Weakfish (Squeteague) 16" Open Season 6/1 - 6/30 8/7 - 11/8 All other times call RIDFW for details 100 lbs/vsl/day Winter Flounder 12" 1/1 - 12/31 50 lbs/vsl/day The harvesting or possession of winter flounder is PROHIBITED in Narragansett Bay north of the Colregs Line of Demarcation as well as in Potter Pond, Point Judith Pond,and the Harbor of Refuge Yellowtail Flounder 12" 1/1 - 12/31 No limit Atlantic Herring No minimum size 1/1 - 12/31 Area 2: Unlimited Area 3: 2,000 lbs/vsl/day River Herring NA 1/1- 12/31 Prohibited in state waters Call DFW for federal bycatch allowance Recreational Marine Fisheries Species Minimum size Season Possession Limit American eel 9" 1/1 - 12/31 25 eels/person/day 50 eels/vsl/day for licensed party/charter vessels American plaice (dab) 14" 1/1 - 12/31 No limit Black Sea Bass - General Recreational 16.5" 5/22 - 8/268/27 - 12/31 2 fish/person/day 3 fish/person/day Black Sea Bass - Party and Charter 16" 6/18 - 8/319/1 - 12/31 2 fish/person/day 6 fish/person/day Bluefish No minimum 1/1 - 12/31 3 fish/person/day Bluefish Party and Charter No minimum 1/1 - 12/31 5 fish/person/day Cod 23" 1/1 - 5/316/1 - 8-319/1 - 12/31 5 fish/person/dayClosed5 fish/person/day Summer Flounder (Fluke) 18" 5/3 - 12/31 4 fish/person/day Special Area Provisions:While fishing from shore at India Point Park in Providence; Conimicut Park in Warwick; Rocky Point, Warwick; Stone Bridge in Tiverton; East and West Walls (Harbor of Refuge), Narragansett; Fort Wetherill, Jamestown; and Fort Adams, Newport; anglers may possess up to 2 summer flounder 17 inches or greater in length from May 3, through December 31 as part of their 4 fish possession limit. The remaining 2 fish must be 18 inches or larger. Monkfish (Goosefish) 17" whole 11" tail 1/1 - 12/31 50 lbs tails/day or 166 lbs whole/day Haddock 18" 1/1 - 12/31 No limit Pollock 19" 1/1 - 12/31 No limit Scup - Shore 9.5" 5/1 - 12/31 30 fish/person/day Scup - Private and Rental 10.5" 5/1 - 12/31 30 fish/person/day Scup - Party and Charter 10.5" 5/1 - 8/31 9/1 - 10/31 11/1 - 12/31 30 fish/person/day 40 fish/person/day 30 fish/person/day Skate No minimum 1/1 - 12/31 10 fish/person/day Striped Bass 28"-<31" 1/1 - 12/31 1 fish/person/day Striped Bass Circle Hook Provision: Required when fishing recreationally for striped bass with bait. Tautog 16"Only one fish may be greater than 21" 4/1 - 5/31 6/1 - 7/31 8/1 - 10/14 10/15 - 12/31 3 fish/person/day CLOSED 3 fish/person/day 5 fish/person/day Max of 10 fish/vsl during all periods Tautog (Party and Charter) 16"Only one fish may be greater than 21" 4/1 - 5/31 6/1 - 7/31 8/1 - 10/14 10/15 - 12/31 3 fish/person/day CLOSED 3 fish/person/day 5 fish/person/day Weakfish (Squeteague) 16" 1/1 - 12/31 1 fish/person/day Winter Flounder (Blackback) 12" 3/1 - 12/31 2 fish/person/day The harvesting or possession of winter flounder is PROHIBITED in Narragansett Bay north of the Colregs Line of Demarcation as well as in Potter Pond, Point Judith Pond, and the Harbor of Refuge Witch Flounder (Gray Sole) 14" 1/1 - 12/31 No limit Yellowtail Flounder 13" 1/1 - 12/31 No limit Lobsters, Blue Crabs, and Horseshoe Crabs Minimum Sizes and Possession Limits Lobsters THE POSSESSION OF EGG-BEARING LOBSTERS IS PROHIBITED. ALL LEGAL SIZED EGG-BEARING LOBSTERS MUST BE V-NOTCHED. Harvesting by licensed residents only, all lobsters must be measured IMMEDIATELY. All lobsters measuring less than the legal minimum size of 3-3/8" carapace length must be returned immediately to the water from which taken. Measuring: The carapace length is measured from the rear of the eye socket along a line parallel to the centerline of the body shell to the rear end of the body shell. Blue Crabs: THE POSSESSION OF EGG-BEARING BLUE CRABS IS PROHIBITED. Harvesting by residents only. It is illegal to harvest crabs from sunset to sunrise. All blue crabs measuring less than the legal minimum size of five inches (5") from spike-end to spike-end must be returned immediately to the water from which taken. No person shall possess, take, or attempt to take more than twenty-five (25) blue crabs from any of the waters of Rhode Island except when taken by a scoop or crab net, trot, or hand line. Measuring: A direct line measured from the end of one spike across the body shell to the end of the opposite spike must be no less than five inches (5"). Horseshoe Crabs: No person shall harvest horseshoe crabs from waters or shoreline of the state during the 48-hour period preceding and the 48-hour period following the new and full moons during the month of May annually. No person shall harvest horseshoe crabs for commercial or recreational purposes on or within 100 feet seaward of Patience and Prudence Islands in Narragansett Bay. Commercial: It is illegal for any person to harvest horseshoe crabs in Rhode Island for commercial purposes without a Multi-Purpose Commercial License and a Horseshoe Crab Harvest Permit. There is an annual commercial harvest quota allocated to the State of Rhode Island by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC). Recreational: It is illegal for any person to harvest horseshoe crabs in Rhode Island for recreational purposes without a Horseshoe Crab Harvest Permit. Any resident with a Horseshoe Crab Harvest Permit may possess not more than five (5) horseshoe crabs in any calendar day. Horseshoe Crab Harvest Permits are obtainable at the Division of Fish and Wildlife, Marine Fisheries Section. For more detailed lobster, blue crab, or horseshoe crab regulations click here Shellfish Minimum Sizes Shellfishing is prohibited statewide between sunset and sunrise. Shellfish Recreational Minimum Sizes and Possession Limits Species Minimum size Season Non-Management Areas Management Areas Resident Limit Non-Resident Limit Resident Limit Non-Resident Limit Channeled and Knobbed Whelk (Conch) Busycotypus canaliculatus and Busycon carica 2 1/4" shell height 1/1 - 12/31 1/2 Bushel Residents Only 1/2 Bushel Max 1 bushel/vsl Residents Only Bay Quahaug Mercenaria mercenaria 1" hinge width 1/1 - 12/31 1/2 Bushel 1 Peck 1Peck 1/2 Peck Soft-shelled clam Mya arenaria 2" longest axis 1/1 - 12/31 1/2 Bushel 1 Peck 1 Peck 1/2 Peck Oyster Crassostrea virginica 3" longest axis 9/15 - 5/15 1/2 Bushel 1 Peck 1 Peck 1/2 Peck Scallop Argopecten irradians No seed possession 1st Sat Nov - 12/31 Dip Nets12/1 - 12/31 Dredge 1 Bushel Residents Only 1 Bushel Residents Only Surf Clam Spisula solidissima 5" longest axis 1/1 - 12/31 1/2 Bushel 1 Peck 1 Peck 1/2 Peck