Yearly Regulation Amendments.

Rhode Island Marine Fisheries Regulations
Minimum Sizes and Possession Limits

If you have questions, contact Pete Duhamel at 401-423-1927 or peter.duhamel@dem.ri.gov

1/9/2025
AMENDMENT TO EXISTING REGULATIONS

Please be advised that amendments to the following RI Marine Fisheries regulations have been filed, resulting from a public hearing held on November 3, 2025 and RI Marine Fisheries Council meeting held on December 1, 2025:

1.  Part 4 – Shellfish: [pvxtjxbbb.cc.rs6.net] Revised shellfish harvest schedule for the Providence River Shellfish Management Area (Area "E").
2.   Part 3 - Finfish: [pvxtjxbbb.cc.rs6.net]
   1. 2026 Commercial Striped Bass General Category Management: Amends the season opening date from June 10 to June 2
   2. 2026 Commercial Black Sea Bass Management: Amends the allocation from 18 to 15 percent for the Jan. 1 – April 30 subperiod, and from 10 to 13 percent for the Oct. 16 – Dec. 31 subperiod; and amends the starting possession limit from 50 to 100 lbs/vsl/day for the July 1 – Aug. 15 and Aug. 16 – Sept. 15 subperiods.
   3. 2026 Commercial Summer Flounder Management: Amends the starting possession limit from 500 to 100 lbs/day for the Sept. 16 – Dec. 31 subperiod.
   4. Commercial Summer Flounder Landing Restriction: Provides that summer flounder must only be “offloaded” rather than “landed” between the hours of 6:00 A.M. to 8:00 P.M. (provides that a vessel may be secured to a shoreside facility at any time, but that offloading must occur only between the hours of 6:00 A.M. to 8:00 P.M.)
3. Part 23 - Aggregate Program: [pvxtjxbbb.cc.rs6.net] Amends the possession limit for black sea bass from 6 to 7 times the daily limit for the October 16 – December 31 subperiod.
4. Part 1 – Definitions and General Provisions: [pvxtjxbbb.cc.rs6.net] Amends the rule to provide for the issuance of tickets under the jurisdiction of the RI Traffic Tribunal (RITT) for penalties of violations relating to seasons, possession limits, size limits and methods of take for any species of fish, game, bird, or other wild animal as a civil violation subject to a fine of $100 for each offense, consistent with the recently amended statute.
5. Part 6 – General Equipment Provisions: [pvxtjxbbb.cc.rs6.net] Deletes the statutory citation from rule regarding marking of pots and buoys to clarify applicability of the rule to both commercial and recreational pots and buoys.

12/30/2025
POSSESSION LIMIT MODIFICATION

1. Black sea bass: Beginning 12:00am on Thursday, January 1, 2026, the possession will be five hundred (500) pounds per week, until further notice.
2. Scup - general category:  Beginning 12:00am on Thursday, January 1, 2026, the possession limit will be fifty thousand (50,000) pounds per day, until further notice.
3. Scup - floating fish traps:  Beginning 12:00am on Thursday, January 1, 2026, the possession limit will be fifty thousand (50,000) pounds per day, until further notice.
4. Striped bass - general category:  Beginning 12:00am on Thursday, January 1, 2026, the fishery will be closed until further notice.
5. Striped bass - floating fish traps:  Beginning 12:00am on Thursday, January 1, 2026, the fishery will be closed until reopening 12:00am on April 1, 2025 @ unlimited possession limit.
6. Summer flounder - vessels without a Summer Flounder Exemption Certificate: Beginning 12:00am on Thursday, January 1, 2026, the possession limit will remain at one hundred (100) pounds per day, until further notice.
7. Summer flounder - vessels with a Summer Flounder Exemption Certificate:  Beginning 12:00am on Thursday, January 1, 2026, the possession limit will remain at one hundred (100) pounds per day, until further notice.
8. Winter I Aggregate Program for Summer Flounder: Beginning January 1, 2026, the fishery will remain closed. Beginning 12:00am on Sunday, January 4, 2026, the possession limit will be four thousand (4,000) pounds per bi-week (permitted vessels only) until further notice.
9. Bluefish: Beginning 12:00am on Thursday, January 1, 2026, the possession limit will be one thousand (1,000) pounds per bi-week, until further notice.
10. Menhaden - Menhaden Management Area - Daily limit when the MMA is open:   The MMA is currently closed; the fishery remains closed until further notice.
11. Menhaden - Menhaden Management Area - Weekly limit when the MMA is closed:   Beginning 12:00am on Thursday, January 1, 2026, the fishery remains closed until further notice.
12. Menhaden - State Waters outside the Menhaden Management Area: Beginning 12:00am on Thursday, January 1, 2026, the commercial possession limit remains @ one hundred twenty thousand (120,000) pounds per vessel per day, until further notice.
13. Tautog: Beginning 12:00am on Thursday, January 1, 2026, the fishery remains closed until reopening 12:00am on April 1, 2026, @ ten (10) fish per day.