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. 4/28/2025
"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 |
Possession Limit |
|---|---|---|---|
|
American eel |
9" |
1/1 - 12/31 |
25 eels/person/day |
|
American plaice (dab) |
14" |
1/1 - 12/31 |
No limit |
|
Black Sea Bass |
16.5" |
5/22 - 8/26 |
2 fish/person/day |
|
8/27 - 12/31 |
3 fish/person/day |
||
|
Black Sea Bass |
16" |
6/18 - 8/31 |
2 fish/person/day |
|
9/1 - 12/31 |
6 fish/person/day |
||
|
Bluefish |
No minimum |
1/1 - 12/31 |
3 fish/person/day |
|
Bluefish |
No minimum |
1/1 - 12/31 |
5 fish/person/day |
|
Cod |
23" |
1/1 - 5/31 |
5 fish/person/day |
|
6/1 - 8-31 |
Closed |
||
|
9/1 - 12/31 |
5 fish/person/day |
||
|
Summer Flounder (Fluke) |
19" |
4/1 - 12/31 |
6 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 as part of their fish possession limit. The remaining fish must be 19 inches or larger. | |||
|
Monkfish |
17" whole |
1/1 - 12/31 |
50 lbs tails/day or |
|
Haddock |
18" |
1/1 - 12/31 |
No limit |
|
Pollock |
19" |
|
No limit |
|
Scup |
9.5" |
5/1 - 12/31 |
30 fish/person/day |
|
Scup |
11" |
5/1 - 12/31 |
30 fish/person/day |
|
Scup |
11" |
5/1 - 8/31 |
30 fish/person/day |
|
9/1 - 10/31 |
40 fish/person/day |
||
|
11/1 - 12/31 |
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"
Max of 10 fish/vsl during all periods |
4/1 - 5/31 |
3 fish/person/day |
|
6/1 - 7/31 |
CLOSED |
||
|
8/1 - 10/14 |
3 fish/person/day |
||
|
10/15 - 12/31 |
5 fish/person/day |
||
|
Tautog |
16" |
4/1 - 5/31 |
3 fish/person/day |
|
6/1 - 7/31 |
CLOSED |
||
|
8/1 - 10/14 |
3 fish/person/day |
||
|
10/15 - 12/31 |
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 |
14" |
1/1 - 12/31 |
No limit |
|
Yellowtail Flounder |
13" |
1/1 - 12/31 |
No limit |
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. 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.
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
Minimum Sizes
Shellfishing is prohibited statewide between sunset and sunrise.
|
Species |
Minimum size |
Season |
Non-Management Area |
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 |
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 Nets |
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 |