R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-5-14 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-5 / Section 20-5-14
§ 20-5-14. Removal of trap on cessation of use  Closed season  Damaged or dilapidated traps.
Status: in_force

Upon ceasing to use any fish trap as authorized, that structure shall at once be removed by the owner at the owners expense and to the satisfaction of the director of environmental management. Failure to remove it shall be considered sufficient grounds for prosecution of the owner for maintaining a public nuisance or for revocation of the fish trap permit. Unless otherwise specified by regulations adopted by the marine fisheries council, all fish traps authorized in this chapter shall be completely removed by or before the last day of December of each year and no fish trap shall be reset before the first day of the following March. All submerged or broken stakes must be promptly removed. Any fish trap damaged or allowed to get into a dilapidated condition will be regarded as abandoned unless promptly removed or rebuilt. Failure to do this will subject the owner to prosecution and forfeiture of the trap.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-10-15 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-10 / Section 20-10-15
§ 20-10-15. Authority to enter and inspect.
Status: in_force

The director shall have the authority to enter and inspect any and all areas subject to an aquaculture permit for the purpose of determining compliance with the terms and provisions of the permit.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-11-2 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-11 / Section 20-11-2
§ 20-11-2. Closed season.
Status: in_force

No person shall catch, or attempt to catch, or take any species of fish in any pond or stream stocked with trout by the department of environmental management or in any waters set apart by the department in which trout might be found, except during the open seasons, and subject to the catch and size limits, and regulations as to the method of taking, as established by the director pursuant to § 20-1-12.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-5-4 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-5 / Section 20-5-4
§ 20-5-4. Distance between traps  Length of trap leader.
Status: in_force

Except as provided in § 20-5-5, no permit shall be granted for the erection within the public waters of the state of a fish trap any part of which is less than three thousand feet (3,000²) distant from an adjoining trap, measured parallel with the general coastline at such point as determined by the department of environmental management, or for a greater length of trap and leader than two hundred eighty (280) fathoms; provided, that the department of environmental management may grant a permit for the erection of a fish trap within a lesser distance of three thousand feet (3,000²) from an adjoining trap if the parties interested agree in writing to a lesser distance.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-16-10 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-16 / Section 20-16-10
§ 20-16-10. Green pelt as evidence of unlawful taking.
Status: in_force

The possession of a green pelt, or any part of a pelt, by any person, except during the open season for the animal and for ten (10) days thereafter, shall be prima facie evidence that the pelt, or part of a pelt, was unlawfully taken and possessed. For the purposes of this section a green pelt is defined to mean a pelt that is not dried, cured, or tanned.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-17-4 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-17 / Section 20-17-4
§ 20-17-4. Counterfeiting or misuse of tags or seals.
Status: in_force

No person shall counterfeit any tag or seal issued by the department in accordance with the provisions of this chapter, and no tag or seal issued shall be affixed to the carcass of any game other than domestic game.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-12-1 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-12 / Section 20-12-1
§ 20-12-1. Cultivation of inland fish.
Status: in_force

The department of environmental management shall be empowered to introduce, protect, and cultivate fish in the inland waters of the state, and to construct, maintain, and operate fish cultivation and breeding facilities and undertake fish cultivation projects within the state as may be, in the opinion of the director, appropriate. The director may take fish from the fisheries of the state for any purpose connected with fish culture or for scientific observation.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-14-3 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-14 / Section 20-14-3
§ 20-14-3. Species not protected.
Status: in_force

Sections 20-14-1 and 20-14-2 shall not be construed to apply to the killing or destruction of nests or eggs of English or European house sparrows (Passer domesticus), or European starlings (Sternus vulgaris).
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-2-2 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-2 / Section 20-2-2
§ 20-2-2. Issuance of licenses.
Status: in_force

Any person or corporation appointed by the director as provided in § 20-2-1 shall, upon the application of any person entitled to receive a license under this chapter and upon payment of the specified license fee, register and issue to that person a license, either printed or displayed electronically on a mobile device, so long as the certificate provides all of the information requested in the data fields identified by the department. The certificate shall bear the name, age, occupation, place of residence, signature, and identifying description of the registrant and shall authorize the registrant to fish or shellfish, or to pursue, hunt, and kill game in the state of Rhode Island during those seasons and in those manners and according to those conditions, as shall be provided by law; provided, however, that these authorized agents shall not have authority to issue lobster, commercial shellfish, or commercial fishing licenses of any kind.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-8-4 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-8 / Section 20-8-4
§ 20-8-4. Appointive commissioner.
Status: in_force

The governor, by and with the advice and consent of the senate, shall appoint a citizen as a third commissioner who shall have a knowledge of, and interest in, the marine fisheries problem. The term of that commissioner shall be three (3) years and he or she shall hold office until his or her successor shall be appointed and qualified. Vacancies occurring in the office of that commissioner from any reason or cause shall be filled by appointment by the governor, by and with the advice and consent of the senate, for the unexpired term.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-10-11 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-10 / Section 20-10-11
§ 20-10-11. Regulations.
Status: in_force

The CRMC may adopt, repeal, and amend any rules and regulations that are necessary and appropriate to carry out the provisions of this chapter, subject to chapter 35 of title 42. Those rules and regulations shall be promulgated in consultation with the director and the MFC.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-2-16 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-2 / Section 20-2-16
§ 20-2-16. Hunting license.
Status: in_force

(a)(1) Resident: twenty-one dollars ($21.00); commencing July 1, 2025, twenty-four dollars ($24.00); commencing July 1, 2028, twenty-seven dollars ($27.00).

(2) Nonresident: fifty-five dollars ($55.00); commencing July 1, 2025, sixty-five dollars ($65.00); commencing July 1, 2028, seventy-five dollars ($75.00).

(3) Nonresident landowner: a nonresident citizen of the United States and owner of real estate in Rhode Island assessed for taxation at a valuation of not less than thirty thousand dollars ($30,000) may obtain a residents hunting license.

(4) Shooting preserve: three dollars and fifty cents ($3.50).

(5) Nonresident three (3) day: twenty dollars ($20.00). This license shall entitle the licensee to hunt in Rhode Island for three (3) consecutive days as validated by the issuing agent.

(6) Resident junior hunting license: fourteen dollars ($14.00).

(7) Nonresident junior hunting license: forty dollars ($40.00).

(b) Hunting licenses shall expire on the last day of February of each year.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-5-16 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-5 / Section 20-5-16
§ 20-5-16. Rules and regulations.
Status: in_force

The director of environmental management, with the concurrence of the marine fisheries council, may adopt and amend any rules and regulations in reference to fish traps, permitted under this chapter, that may appear to him or her necessary for the public safety and for the proper execution of this chapter.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-5-21 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-5 / Section 20-5-21
§ 20-5-21. Fish traps near Conanicut Island unlawful.
Status: in_force

It shall be unlawful to place any fish trap, as defined in this chapter, in the public waters of this state within one mile of the shore of the Island of Conanicut and no permit for this purpose shall be granted.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-1-2 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-1 / Section 20-1-2
§ 20-1-2. Authority over fish and wildlife.
Status: in_force

The general assembly hereby vests in the director of the department of environmental management authority and responsibility over the fish and wildlife of the state and over the fish, lobsters, shellfish, and other biological resources of marine waters of the state.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-16-12 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-16 / Section 20-16-12
§ 20-16-12. Report of animals trapped.
Status: in_force

Every holder of a trapping license shall make a report of the number and species of all furbearing animals taken by him or her on forms provided by the department within thirty (30) days of the end of the trapping season and before the expiration of the holders license. No renewal of a trapping license shall be granted unless the report has been made.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-6-27 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-6 / Section 20-6-27
§ 20-6-27. Dredging, raking, and tonging.
Status: in_force

Those areas to which the shellfish are transferred shall be marked out and dredging, raking, or tonging on them shall be prohibited except under the special direction of the director.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-7-4 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-7 / Section 20-7-4
§ 20-7-4. Divers lobster license.
Status: in_force

A holder of a divers license shall take no more than eight (8) lobsters in any one day. It shall be unlawful for any diver to use a spear, gig, gaff, or other penetrating device to harvest lobsters or, while diving, to set, open, or tend lobster pots. It shall be unlawful for lobsters taken by divers to be sold or offered for sale.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-1-27 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-1 / Section 20-1-27
§ 20-1-27. Exotic invasive freshwater fish and invertebrate species  Prohibition on liberation into freshwaters.
Status: in_force

(a) No person shall release or liberate, by design or accident, any species of non-native (exotic) fish or invertebrate, as defined by the director, into the freshwater lakes, ponds, rivers, streams, or wetlands of the state. The director shall promulgate rules and regulations governing the prohibition and its applicability. The prohibition and its enforcement shall not become effective until the rules and regulations governing the prohibition and its applicability take effect.

(b) Violations of this section shall be punishable by a fine of not more than five hundred dollars ($500).
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-15-1 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-15 / Section 20-15-1
§ 20-15-1. Deer hunting prohibited except as provided.
Status: in_force

No person shall hunt, pursue, or shoot, or attempt to hunt, pursue, or shoot, deer in this state except as provided in this chapter. Deer hunting shall be limited to seasons, times, manner of taking, and bag limits established in regulations adopted by the director pursuant to § 20-1-12. The regulations shall be formulated to include the best methods to provide for the safety both of hunters and residents. In any event, the following prohibitions and restrictions shall always apply to deer hunting:

(1)(i) No firearm deer hunting shall be done within five hundred feet (500²) of any building or dwelling house in use without the specific written permission of the owner or tenant of the dwelling.

(ii) No archery deer hunting shall be done within two hundred feet (200²) of any building or dwelling house in use without the specific written permission of the owner or tenant of the dwelling unless otherwise established in regulations adopted by the director, or his or her designee, for the purpose of wildlife management;

(2) Hunting shall only be permitted from one half (Â½) hour before sunrise to one half (Â½) hour after sunset;

(3) No dog shall be employed in any deer-hunting activities;

(4) No hunting shall be done on any privately owned land without the written permission of the owner of the land;

(5) Only a shotgun, muzzle-loading rifle, or long bow (straight limb, reflex, recurve, and compound bow) or crossbow and arrow shall be utilized in deer hunting;

(6) No person shall make, set, or use any trap or snare or salt lick or other device for the purpose of ensnaring, enticing, taking, injuring, or killing a deer;

(7) No person shall individually, or in conjunction with others, use an artificial light at any time to illuminate, jacklight, locate, attempt to locate, or show up wild birds or mammals, or any other vertebrates, when that person, or persons, have in their actual possession, in the passenger compartment of their vehicle, or in the storage area of a truck or van, unless locked in a case, a crossbow, long bow (straight limb, reflex, recurve, and compound bow) rifle, gun, or pistol; and

(8) Upon conviction of a violation of any provision of this section or the rules and regulations promulgated under this section and § 20-1-12, in addition to the penalties provided by § 20-1-16, any weapons, guns, lights, or other equipment used in killing or attempting to kill any deer shall be forfeited to the state.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-1-16 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-1 / Section 20-1-16
§ 20-1-16. Penalty for violations.
Status: in_force

(a) Unless otherwise specifically provided, the violation of any law or rule or regulation relating to wild animals, wild birds, lobsters and fish, marine, freshwater and anadromous fisheries and shellfisheries shall be a misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of not more than five hundred dollars ($500), or imprisonment for up to ninety (90) days, or both.

(b) Striped bass penalties. Any person, firm, or corporation shall be fined in accordance with the following schedule:

(1) First offense. Upon conviction, not less than one hundred dollars ($100) for each striped bass taken, possessed, sold or possessed, and/or offered for sale and imprisonment for up to ninety (90) days, or both.

(2) Second offense. Upon conviction, not less than two hundred dollars ($200) for each striped bass taken, possessed, sold or possessed, and/or offered for sale and imprisonment for up to ninety (90) days, or both; and any boat, fishing tackle or other implements used in violation shall be subject to forfeiture to the state.

(3) Third and subsequent offenses. Upon conviction, not less than five hundred dollars ($500) for each striped bass taken, possessed, sold or possessed, and/or offered for sale and imprisonment for up to ninety (90) days, or both; and any boat, fishing tackle or other implements used in this violation shall be subject to forfeiture to the state.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-5-6 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-5 / Section 20-5-6
§ 20-5-6. Continuity of traps.
Status: in_force

(a) No more than two (2) traps shall be set together in any continuous string of line, and there shall be a space of one hundred fifty (150) fathoms between two traps set within which no trap, leader, or other twine shall be placed.

(b) No more than three (3) traps shall be set, erected, or maintained by the holder of any permit issued hereunder in a manner to be consecutively arranged in any one of the lines described in § 20-5-5; provided, that this subsection shall not be deemed to limit the total number of traps that may be set, erected, or maintained in a line by a holder.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-2-22 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-2 / Section 20-2-22
§ 20-2-22. Nonresidents noncommercial shellfish license.
Status: in_force

(a) Every nonresident over the age of twelve (12) years may obtain a nonresident, noncommercial annual shellfish license for a fee of two hundred dollars ($200).

(b) A nonresident may obtain one noncommercial limited license per calendar year covering fourteen (14) days, including the date of issue, for eleven dollars ($11.00).

(c) A nonresident must obtain a shellfish landing license, for a fee of two hundred dollars ($200), to land shellfish (surf clams, blue mussels, ocean quahaugs, sea scallops) harvested outside Rhode Island waters.

(d) A nonresident landowner, as defined in § 20-1-3(a)(5), who owns residential real estate in Rhode Island assessed for taxation at a valuation of not less than thirty thousand dollars ($30,000) may, with proof of residential property ownership in the form of a current tax bill from a town or city hall showing that the nonresident landowner is current in his or her property tax obligation, obtain an annual, noncommercial, nonresident shellfish license for a fee of twenty-five dollars ($25.00).
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-4-2 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-4 / Section 20-4-2
§ 20-4-2. Otter trawls, pair trawls, and beam trawls  Areas prohibited.
Status: in_force

Unless otherwise specified in regulations and except for those areas described in § 20-4-3, no person shall operate a beam, pair, or otter trawl or other mechanical trawling device in the Sakonnet River; Narragansett Bay; in Point Judith Pond, so-called, in the towns of Narragansett and South Kingstown; or the Harbor of Refuge, so-called, in the town of Narragansett; or in Potter Pond, so-called, in the town of South Kingstown; or in Great Salt Pond, so-called, in the town of New Shoreham.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-13-11 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-13 / Section 20-13-11
§ 20-13-11. Maximum size of hunting parties.
Status: in_force

It is unlawful for more than five (5) persons to hunt in unison, or to cooperate in any manner with each other to hunt, for wild birds or wild animals of any kind.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-17-7 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-17 / Section 20-17-7
§ 20-17-7. License for importation of frozen game birds and animals.
Status: in_force

No person, firm, corporation, or agent thereof shall import any frozen game from outside the state without having first obtained a license to do so from the director and the proper number of tags for each carcass to be imported and sold; provided, that any frozen game taken under a nonresident license in another state, and so identified with the hunters name, address, state in which taken, and nonresident license number may be imported into Rhode Island without additional permits.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-5-11 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-5 / Section 20-5-11
§ 20-5-11. Inspection of traps.
Status: in_force

The director of environmental management shall cause an inspection, or inspections, of the fish traps permitted to be made at a proper time, or times, in each year for the purpose of determining whether the traps are located in accordance with the permit for these traps and whether the permittee is observing the rules and regulations fixed by the director.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-7-11 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-7 / Section 20-7-11
§ 20-7-11. Buoying of pots  Escape vents.
Status: repealed

(a) Each and every lobster pot, set, kept, or maintained, or caused to be set, kept, or maintained, in any of the waters in the jurisdiction of this state by any person licensed under this chapter, shall contain an escape vent in accordance with the following specifications:

(1) A rectangular escape vent with an unobstructed opening not less than 1Â¾ inches (44.5mm) by 6 inches (152.5mm); or

(2) Two (2) circular escape vents with an unobstructed opening not less than 2Â¼ inches (57.2mm) in diameter; or

(3) An unobstructed gap caused by raising both ends of a bottom lath in the parlor section 1Â¼ inches (44.5mm) from the bottom; or

(4) An unobstructed gap caused by separating both ends of two (2) vertical laths on the end of the parlor section by 1Â¾ inches (44.5mm); or

(5) An unobstructed gap created by cutting wires in a wire trap in such a manner as to meet the minimum size and number of vents required under subsections (a)(1) and (a)(2).

(b) The vent or gap shall be installed or made in the parlor section on the sides or end panel. No horizontal rectangular vent or gap or circular vent shall be located more than three inches (3³) from the sill of the trap. Traps equipped with multiple opposing parlor sections must adhere to the escape vent requirements specified in subsection (a)(1) or (a)(2) in each parlor section. Any fisher not complying with the provisions of this section or § 20-7-10 shall be fined in compliance with § 20-3-3 [repealed].

(c) The director shall have the power to establish larger escape vent sizes by regulation.

(d) Each lobster pot shall be separately and plainly buoyed; except that in cases where natural conditions render it impracticable to separately buoy each pot, the director of environmental management may, upon application from any person licensed under this chapter, grant permission to otherwise buoy those pots subject to rules and regulations promulgated by the director; and each and every permit so granted shall set forth the name of the person to whom the permit is granted; the number of the permit; the place or places where the lobster pots are to be located; the manner in which lobster pots shall be set; and the period of time during which the permit shall extend.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-14-8.1 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-14 / Section 20-14-8.1
§ 20-14-8.1. Brushneck Cove and Buttonwoods Cove.
Status: in_force

No person shall take, kill, destroy, or pursue or in any manner molest any wild bird in any season of the year in that part of the city of Warwick known as Brushneck Cove and Buttonwoods Cove or within one hundred (100) yards of the shore or banks of the Brushneck Cove and Buttonwoods Cove.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-2-10 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-2 / Section 20-2-10
§ 20-2-10. Endorsement of license.
Status: in_force

No license issued under this chapter shall be valid until endorsed by the licensee in his or her own handwriting.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-2-3 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-2 / Section 20-2-3
§ 20-2-3. Record of licenses issued  Accounting for fees.
Status: in_force

Every city and town clerk or agent appointed under this chapter shall record all licenses issued under this chapter in books kept for that purpose, one coupon of which shall be retained in his or her record. The books shall be supplied by the department; shall remain the property of the state; shall be open to public inspection during the usual office hours of the clerk or appointee; and shall be subject at all times to audit and inspection by the director, by the director of administration, or by the agents of either. Each of these clerks or appointees shall, on the first Monday of every month, pay to the department all moneys received by the clerk or appointee for the registrations issued during the month preceding, except for recording fee, together with a receipted bill for fees retained in accordance with § 20-2-4, and shall, within thirty (30) days succeeding January first of each year, return to the department all registration books and unused and void certificates. The director shall pay the money received to the general treasurer with a list of the number and kind of registrations recorded by each city and town clerk or agent during the month.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-1-21 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-1 / Section 20-1-21
§ 20-1-21. General powers.
Status: in_force

(a) The following fees shall be established and paid to the department of environmental management for issuance of the following special permits:

Ferret Permit $10.00

Scientific Collectors Permit $25.00

(b) Any fees collected under authority of this section shall be deposited into restricted receipt accounts established by this title, as appropriate to the type of special permit issued, and shall be used only for the authorized purposes of the restricted receipt accounts. The accounts include, but are not limited to: fishing license account, hunting license account, wildlife fund.

(c) The divisions of fish and wildlife and marine fisheries shall be authorized to establish fees for reference, educational, and souvenir-type materials provided upon request to interested parties. Those materials include, but are not limited to: surveys, guides, maps, posters, reference and educational booklets and materials, and articles of clothing. No fee shall be required for any materials describing or implementing any licensing or regulatory authority of the divisions. Any fees collected under authority of this section shall be deposited as general revenues.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-2-16.1 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-2 / Section 20-2-16.1
§ 20-2-16.1. Shooting preserves.
Status: in_force

The annual license fee for operating a shooting preserve shall be twenty-five dollars ($25.00).
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-2-40 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-2 / Section 20-2-40
§ 20-2-40. Trout conservation stamp required.
Status: in_force

No person fifteen (15) years of age or older shall take any trout without first obtaining a regular fishing license and a Rhode Island trout conservation stamp for the current year. Each stamp shall be validated by signature of the licensee written in ink across the face of the stamp, shall not be transferable, and shall be in his or her possession while engaged in the activity permitted under the terms of the license and stamp. The stamp year shall run from March 1 to the last day in February. The trout conservation stamp shall be available at all outlets currently used for the issuance of the fishing license.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-1-9 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-1 / Section 20-1-9
§ 20-1-9. Operation of patrol boats.
Status: in_force

The general assembly shall annually appropriate any sum that it may deem necessary to patrol and police the shellfish grounds; check the licenses of fishermen; protect the scallop areas; collect animal specimens; execute special work incidental to the lobster and other shellfisheries; and enforce the provisions of chapter 22 of title 46, this sum to be expended under the direction of the director of the department of environmental management for the purpose of maintaining and operating patrol boats and their crews. The controller is hereby authorized and directed to draw orders upon the general treasurer for the payment of the sum, or sums, as may be required from time to time, upon the receipt by the controller of proper vouchers approved by the director.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-6-13 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-6 / Section 20-6-13
§ 20-6-13. General penalties for violations  Impoundment of boats.
Status: in_force

Any person who, without a license, takes quahaugs by dredge, or any person who violates any suspension of the director of environmental management made with respect to quahaug dredging or who violates any provisions of this chapter for which a penalty is not otherwise provided, shall, upon conviction for the first offense, be fined two hundred fifty dollars ($250) and the director may seize, hold, and impound, at the owners expense, in one of three (3) commercial shipyards submitting the lowest bid, for a period of not less than thirty (30) days nor more than sixty (60) days, any power boat used in the violation of this section together with its dredges, rakes, and equipment. Any person convicted of a subsequent violation, or violations, of the provisions of this section shall be imprisoned for thirty (30) days and the director of environmental management may seize, hold, and impound, at the owners expense, in a commercial shipyard for a period of not less than ninety (90) nor more than one hundred twenty (120) days, any power boat used in the violation of this chapter together with its dredges, rakes, and equipment.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-37-1 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-37 / Section 20-37-1
§ 20-37-1. Statement of policy.
Status: in_force

It is the policy of this state to contribute to the maintenance of a high-quality environment within the state and elsewhere for the benefit of the safety, health, and welfare of its citizens by forbidding the importation, sale, offering for sale, transportation, storage, traffic, ownership, or other possession or use of any dead or live animal or plant or any part of the skin, other tissues, or body, whether raw, manufactured, processed, or preserved, of any species of animal or plant considered by the United States Secretaries of the Interior or Commerce to be under the provisions of the federal Endangered Species Act of 1973, 16 U.S.C. § 1531 et seq.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-2-12 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-2 / Section 20-2-12
§ 20-2-12. Application for license.
Status: in_force

Every person entitled to a license under this chapter shall file an application with the director, or the directors authorized agent, or any city or town clerk, properly sworn to, stating the name, age, occupation, place of residence, nationality, weight, height, and color of hair and eyes of the applicant for whom the license is wanted and pay the fees as provided in this chapter. All licenses issued under this chapter shall be valid only for the calendar year of issuance, unless otherwise specified in this title or in the rules and regulations adopted pursuant to this title.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-13-8 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-13 / Section 20-13-8
§ 20-13-8. Loaded weapons in vehicles.
Status: in_force

It is unlawful for any person to have in their possession a loaded rifle or loaded shotgun or a rifle or shotgun from the magazine of which all shells and cartridges have not been removed, in or on any vehicle or conveyance or its attachments while upon or along any public highway, road, lane, or trail within this state; provided, however, that the provisions of this section shall not apply to deputy sheriffs, the superintendent and members of the state police, prison or jail wardens or their deputies, members of the city or town police force, or other duly appointed law enforcement officers, including conservation officers and park police, nor to members of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Marine Corps of the United States, the National Guard or organized reserves, when on duty, or officers or employees of the United States authorized by law to carry a concealed firearm, nor to any civilian guard or criminal investigator carrying sidearms or a concealed firearm in the performance of their official duties under the authority of the commanding officer of the military establishment in the state of Rhode Island where the person is employed by the United States.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-5-1 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-5 / Section 20-5-1
§ 20-5-1. Fish traps  Permit required.
Status: in_force

It shall be unlawful for any person to set a fish trap in the public waters of the state without first obtaining a permit as provided in this chapter. For the purposes of this chapter, fish trap means stub and floating traps, weirs, pounds, nets, or any other equivalent contrivance or thing set on, in, or anchored to the bottom or shore used for the purpose of catching fish.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-6-16 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-6 / Section 20-6-16
§ 20-6-16. Scallops  Commercial allowance.
Status: in_force

Unless otherwise specified by regulation, a person holding a license for the commercial taking of scallops shall take in any one day not more than ten (10) bushels of scallops, including shells, from the waters of the state.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-1-3 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-1 / Section 20-1-3
§ 20-1-3. Definitions.
Status: in_force

(a) When used in this title, the following words and phrases shall have the following meanings, unless the context indicates another meaning:

(1) Bushel means a standard U.S. bushel, 2,150.4 cubic inches capacity;

(2) Commercial fishing means to take, harvest, hold, transport, load, or off-load, marine species for sale or for intended sale;

(3) Hinge width means the distance between the convex apex of the right shell and the convex apex of the left shell;

(4) Land or landing means to off-load seafood products, including, but not limited to, finfish, shellfish, and crustaceans, for sale or intended sale, or to secure a vessel with the seafood products on board to a shoreside facility where the products may be off-loaded for sale or intended sale;

(5) Nonresident landowner means a nonresident citizen of the United States and owner of real estate in Rhode Island as evidenced by deed filed in the recorder of deeds office in a Rhode Island town or city hall;

(6) Peck means one fourth (Â¼) of a bushel;

(7) Person means an individual, corporation, partnership, or other legal entity;

(8) Possession means the exercise of dominion or control over the resource commencing at the time at which a decision is made not to return the resource to the immediate vicinity from which it was taken. The decision must be made at the first practical opportunity. In the case of aquaculture crops, possession means the exercise of dominion or control over cultured crops commencing at the time that a decision is made not to return the crops to the lease or facility from which they were taken. The decision must be made at the first practical opportunity, taking into consideration the management practices set forth in the approved operational plan;

(9) Quart means one thirty-second ( 1 / 3 2 ) of a bushel;

(10) Resident means an individual who has had his or her actual place of residence and has lived in the state of Rhode Island for a continuous period of not less than six (6) months.

(b) When used in this title, the following common names shall mean the animals designated by the following scientific names:

Alewife  Pomolobus or Alosa pseudoharengus

Bay quahaug  Mercenaria mercenaria

Bay scallop  Argopecten irradians

Blue crab  Callinectes sapidus

Blue mussel  Mytilus edulis

Conch/channel whelk  Busycon canaliculatum

Conch/nob whelk  Busycon carica

Deer  white-tailed deer, Odocoileous virginianus

Eel  Anguilla rostrata

Green crabs  Carcinus maenas

Jonah/northern crab  Cancer borealis

Lobster  Homarus americanus

Menhaden  Brevoortia tyrannus

Ocean quahaug  Arctica islandica

Oyster  Crassostrea virginica, Ostrea edulis

Rock crab  Cancer irroratus

Sea scallop  Placopecten magellanicus

Smelt  Osmerus mordax

Soft shell clam  Mya arenaria

Striped bass  Morone saxatilis

Surf clam or sea clam  Spisula solidissima.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-16-6 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-16 / Section 20-16-6
§ 20-16-6. Prohibited methods of taking.
Status: in_force

No person shall erect, set, repair, maintain, or tend any snare, or spread any poison, for the purpose of catching or killing any animal, except within buildings located on land owned or occupied by him or her, unless specifically allowed by regulations adopted under § 20-1-12.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-5-8 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-5 / Section 20-5-8
§ 20-5-8. Preference of prior occupants in permitting.
Status: in_force

The director of environmental management shall, where there are two (2) or more applicants for permits for the same location or for locations that are less than three thousand feet (3,000²) apart, determine which applicant has continuously during the fishing season occupied the location for the longer period of years; and the applicant who shall establish a priority of location shall, if otherwise properly qualified, be entitled to receive a permit for the location.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-17-2 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-17 / Section 20-17-2
§ 20-17-2. Sale of artificially propagated game.
Status: in_force

(a) No person shall engage in the commercial raising or selling of wild birds, game quadrupeds, or domestic game birds unless that person possesses a commercial game propagation license issued by the department.

(b) Game raised under the license may be bought, sold, and had in possession, live, at any season of the year for purposes of propagation.

(c) Carcasses of artificially propagated game may be sold only by a person who holds, in addition to a commercial propagation license, a license issued by the department authorizing the sale of game carcasses. All game carcasses sold under the license must have attached to the game carcass a tag or seal provided to the licensee by the department, at cost, which tag or seal shall remain intact until the game is used.

(d) The director may, from time to time, issue any rules and regulations that he or she deems necessary to control the operation of the business of propagation, raising, and sale of game.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-6-14 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-6 / Section 20-6-14
§ 20-6-14. Costs of seizure and impounding.
Status: in_force

Any costs incurred by the seizure and impounding of power boats by authority of § 20-6-13 shall be assessed against the owner, or owners, of those boats, and none of these seized and impounded boats shall be released to any claimant, unless and until, any costs incurred by reason of their seizure and impounding shall have been paid.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-16-7 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-16 / Section 20-16-7
§ 20-16-7. License required for trapping  Marking of traps.
Status: in_force

No person shall set, maintain, or tend any trap for the purpose of taking, killing, or destroying any furbearing animal without first obtaining a trapping license from the department of environmental management; provided, however, that a resident of this state, or a member of the residents immediate family, may set traps without a license on land owned or leased by him or her and on which he or she is actually domiciled. The trapping license shall have the name of the licensee contained thereon, and every trap set by a licensee shall carry upon it a license identification, insignia, or number in any design, size, and form that the director shall designate. No license shall be issued to any nonresident from a state that does not afford to Rhode Island residents trapping privileges.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-3-1 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-3 / Section 20-3-1
§ 20-3-1. Council created  Membership  Compensation.
Status: in_force

There is hereby created a marine fisheries council. The council shall be composed of the director of the department of environmental management, or the directors designee, who shall serve as chairperson, and eight (8) private citizen members. The private citizen members shall be chosen from among those with skill, knowledge, and experience in the commercial fishing industry, the recreational and for-hire fishing industry, and in the conservation and management of fisheries resources and shall be appointed by the governor with the advice and consent of the senate. Three (3) of the private citizen members shall be representatives of the commercial fishing industry; three (3) shall be representatives of the recreational and for-hire fishing industry; and the remaining two (2) shall have skill, knowledge, and experience in the conservation and management of fisheries resources and/or marine biology. The chairperson of the coastal resources management council and the chiefs of the divisions of enforcement and marine fisheries in the department of environmental management shall serve in an advisory capacity to the council. Members of the council shall serve for a term of four (4) years, not to exceed two (2) four-year (4) terms, notwithstanding a partial mid-term appointment. All members of the council shall serve without compensation and shall be reimbursed for their necessary expenses incurred in travel and in the performance of their duties. No person may serve on the council if assessed a criminal or administrative penalty in the past three (3) years for a violation of a marine fisheries law or regulation, including any suspension or revocation of a commercial or recreational fishing license or permit or dealers license, or any fine, donations, probation, imprisonment, or other filing, imposed administratively or by a court of law.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-13-7 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-13 / Section 20-13-7
§ 20-13-7. Shooting in proximity to occupied buildings.
Status: in_force

It is unlawful for any person, while hunting or pursuing wild birds or wild animals in this state, to shoot or discharge any firearm or other deadly weapon within five hundred feet (500²) of any occupied dwelling house, residence, or other building occupied by human beings, or any barn, stable, or other building used in connection therewith, without the specific permission of the owner or tenant.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-4-5 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-4 / Section 20-4-5
§ 20-4-5. Report of commercial fisheries.
Status: in_force

The owner and/or operator of every boat and/or operator of any device licensed pursuant to this title for the taking or landing of marine organisms for commercial purposes in the state of Rhode Island, or any person issued a license by the director for such purposes, and any dealer of marine organisms licensed pursuant to this title shall, upon request of the department, make either a telephone report, or a written report, or both. Written reports shall be made on forms furnished by the department of environmental management and shall include catch and effort data and any other fishery data that may be required by the director. The reports shall not be made public and shall be kept only for statistical purposes. Failure to comply with the reporting requirements set out in this section or knowingly or willfully making a false report is prohibited. The license or permit of any person found in violation of this section or regulation duly promulgated thereto may be suspended for a period not to exceed sixty (60) days for each offense. No application for a license renewal shall be accepted from a person whose license or permit is currently under suspension or whose reports have not been submitted. Catch reports must be submitted at a time and in a format specified by the director; provided, however, that any such reporting requirements shall not be unreasonable and shall not create an undue burden.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-3-8 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-3 / Section 20-3-8
§ 20-3-8. Establishment of advisory committees.
Status: in_force

The marine fisheries council may establish any advisory committees or panels that it may deem appropriate to fulfill its responsibilities.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-2-18 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-2 / Section 20-2-18
§ 20-2-18. Deer permits.
Status: in_force

(a)(1) Resident: thirteen dollars ($13.00); commencing July 1, 2025, fourteen dollars ($14.00); commencing July 1, 2028, fifteen dollars ($15.00).

(2) Nonresident: twenty-six dollars and fifty cents ($26.50); commencing July 1, 2025, twenty-seven dollars and fifty cents ($27.50); commencing July 1, 2028, twenty-eight dollars and fifty cents ($28.50).

(b) A deer permit is good only for the season in which it is issued.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-7-14 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-7 / Section 20-7-14
§ 20-7-14. Mutilation of uncooked lobsters.
Status: in_force

(a)(1) No person shall mutilate any uncooked lobster by severing its tail from its body, or have in his or her possession any part, or parts, of any uncooked lobster so mutilated. In any and all prosecutions under this section, the possession of any part, or parts, of any uncooked lobster so mutilated shall be prima facie evidence sufficient to convict.

(2) The director of environmental management is authorized to promulgate regulations exempting land-based processing facilities from the provisions of this chapter. Those regulations shall prescribe the procedures to apply for the subject exemption permit and the standards to be employed by the director in his or her consideration of the application. Those regulations shall prescribe rules governing the conduct and operation of the facility and may include restrictions on product forms, sizes, possession requirements, and other provisions in order to maintain the protection of the lobster resource and enforcement of the provision of this chapter.

(b) Any fishing vessel operating in Rhode Island territorial waters shall not have on board at any time more than one pound of cooked or uncooked lobster meat for each person on board that vessel. Any violation of this section shall be punished by a fine of not less than two hundred fifty dollars ($250) nor more than five hundred dollars ($500), and imprisonment for not less than thirty (30) days, or both.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-5-17 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-5 / Section 20-5-17
§ 20-5-17. Judicial enforcement of chapter and orders.
Status: in_force

The superior court, upon the application of the director of environmental management, shall have jurisdiction in equity to enjoin the violation of any of the provisions of this chapter and to enforce the orders of the director provided for in this chapter.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-12-3 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-12 / Section 20-12-3
§ 20-12-3. Freshwater hatcheries.
Status: in_force

The department of environmental management shall establish and maintain freshwater hatcheries in this state for the purpose of providing freshwater and anadromous game fish to be used by the department in the stocking of the ponds and streams of the state. All of the output of those hatcheries not so used shall be sold at a fair-market price and for cash only, and the money received shall be turned in to the general treasury for the use of the state.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-7-8 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-7 / Section 20-7-8
§ 20-7-8. Exhibition of certificate.
Status: in_force

Each person or agent, as defined in § 20-7-1, licensed under the provisions of this chapter shall, upon demand of the director of the department of environmental management or any of the directors deputies, exhibit the license issued to him or her as provided in § 20-7-1. Every person violating the provisions of this section shall, for each offense, be fined up to fifty dollars ($50.00).
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-11-10 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-11 / Section 20-11-10
§ 20-11-10. Injurious substances.
Status: in_force

No person shall place, deposit, or explode any substance injurious to the health or life of fish in any stream or freshwater pond within this state; provided, however, a person may obtain a permit issued by the director of environmental management to use certain chemicals for the eradication of vegetation and control of fish populations under regulations promulgated by the director.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-7-9 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-7 / Section 20-7-9
§ 20-7-9. Report of lobsters taken.
Status: in_force

For the purpose of determining whether the number of lobsters caught in the waters of this state are increasing or decreasing during any period, every person licensed pursuant to § 20-2-24 to catch, take, and/or sell lobsters in Rhode Island shall, upon request of the department of environmental management, report catch and effort statistics upon forms furnished by the department. The returns from any person shall not be made public; shall be kept only in the files of the department; and shall be used only for statistical purposes.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-10-17 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-10 / Section 20-10-17
§ 20-10-17. Arrest, seizure, and prosecution of violators.
Status: in_force

(a) Any police officer authorized to make arrests, the director, and conservation officers appointed under the authority of § 20-1-6 shall be empowered:

(1) To enforce all laws, rules, and regulations relating to this chapter;

(2) To execute all warrants and search warrants for the violation of laws, rules, and regulations relating to this chapter;

(3) To serve subpoenas issued for the trial of all offenses hereunder;

(4) To arrest, without a warrant and on view, any person found violating any law, rule, or regulation relating to this chapter; take that person before a court having jurisdiction for trials; detain that person in custody at the expense of the state until arraignment; and to make and execute complaints within any district, to the justice or clerk of the court, against any person for any of the offenses enumerated under this chapter, committed within the district.

(b) The director, and the directors deputies and assistants, may, by virtue of their respective offices, make complaints of any violation of this chapter, and they shall not be required to give recognizance or to furnish surety for costs or be liable for costs on those complaints.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-1-25 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-1 / Section 20-1-25
§ 20-1-25. Internet hunting.
Status: in_force

(1) Internet hunting means the use of the internet to remotely control the shooting of any bird or animal.

(2) No person shall shoot at or kill any bird or animal with any gun via an internet connection in Rhode Island.

(3) No person shall import, export, or possess any bird or animal, or any part thereof, that has been taken by the use of the internet to remotely control the shooting of any bird or animal.

(4) Violations of this section shall be a misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of not more than five hundred dollars ($500), or imprisonment for up to ninety (90) days, or both.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-8-12 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-8 / Section 20-8-12
§ 20-8-12. Severability.
Status: in_force

If any provision of this chapter or the application of this chapter to any person or circumstance is held invalid, that invalidity shall not affect other provisions or applications of the chapter that can be given effect without the invalid provision or application, and to this end the provisions of this chapter are declared to be severable.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-6-12 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-6 / Section 20-6-12
§ 20-6-12. Maximum take for dredged quahaugs.
Status: in_force

Any person licensed to take quahaugs by dredge, rake, or other apparatus operated by power or hauled by a power boat may take and possess, between sunrise and sunset of any one day, thirty (30) bushels of quahaugs, unless a different amount is specified by regulation. Any person taking more than the prescribed quantity shall be fined, upon conviction, not more than one hundred dollars ($100) for each bushel exceeding the prescribed quantity or be imprisoned not exceeding thirty (30) days, or both.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-10-5 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-10 / Section 20-10-5
§ 20-10-5. Procedures for approval.
Status: in_force

(a) Upon submission of a completed application to the CRMC, the CRMC shall notify the director, the MFC and any other parties that the CRMC may by regulation designate.

(b) No application shall be approved by the CRMC or a permit granted prior to the consideration of recommendations by both the director and the MFC.

(c) The director shall review the application to determine whether the aquaculture activities proposed in the application are:

(1) Not likely to cause an adverse effect on the marine life adjacent to the area to be subject to the permit and the waters of the state;

(2) Not likely to have an adverse effect on the continued vitality of indigenous fisheries of the state.

(d) The MFC shall review the application to determine whether the aquaculture activities proposed in the application are consistent with competing uses engaged in the exploitation of the marine fisheries.

(e) The approval by the CRMC shall be subject to any public hearings, consistent with chapter 35 of title 42, that it may require.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-2-1 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-2 / Section 20-2-1
§ 20-2-1. General.
Status: in_force

The director may issue those licenses required under this title for hunting, fishing, and the taking of fish, game, birds, shellfish, lobsters, or other wild animals within this state and its territorial waters, pursuant to those regulations that the director deems necessary to carry out the provisions of this title. The director may, in his or her discretion, appoint responsible citizens or corporations of the state, or of adjoining states, engaged in operating sporting goods stores to act as agents with authority to issue licenses in the manner and under the conditions as set forth below. Before an appointment shall occur, that citizen or corporation of the state or of adjoining states shall deliver to the director a bond with a surety company authorized to do business in the state of Rhode Island. The requirements and conditions of the bond shall be established by regulation.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-6-30 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-6 / Section 20-6-30
§ 20-6-30. Shellfishing prohibitions  Use of SCUBA.
Status: in_force

(a) It is hereby prohibited to take shellfish by the use of a self-contained underwater breathing apparatus (SCUBA) from Green Hill Pond, Quonochontaug Pond, Charlestown Pond, and Potters Pond.

(b) Penalty. Any person convicted of taking shellfish as set forth in subsection (a) shall be punished by a fine of not more than five hundred dollars ($500) or by imprisonment not exceeding thirty (30) days, or both.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-38-2 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-38 / Section 20-38-2
§ 20-38-2. Legislative findings.
Status: in_force

The general assembly hereby finds that there are currently insufficient resources and information necessary to support Rhode Islands local fishermen and aquaculturists and related small businesses to ensure the best possible economic and environmental outcomes for the creation of more locally produced sustainable food systems, that in particular includes seafood, in the state of Rhode Island.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-2-41 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-2 / Section 20-2-41
§ 20-2-41. Trout conservation stamp design, production, and distribution.
Status: in_force

The director of the department of environmental management shall adopt and shall be responsible for the design, production, procurement, distribution, and sale of all trout conservation stamps and all marketable stamp by-products such as posters, artwork, calendars, and other items.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-11-21 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-11 / Section 20-11-21
§ 20-11-21. Jurisdiction.
Status: in_force

Notwithstanding any inconsistent provision of law, the traffic tribunal shall have exclusive jurisdiction to hear and determine all violations specified in this chapter.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-1-19 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-1 / Section 20-1-19
§ 20-1-19. Powers of enforcement of officers in waters between states.
Status: in_force

If and when the states of New York and Connecticut and the commonwealth of Massachusetts, or any of them, shall enact similar laws for the arrest and punishment for violations of the conservation or fish laws of this state or the state so enacting the similar law, committed, or attempted to be committed, by any person, or persons, fishing in waters lying between the states, any wildlife protector, fish warden, or other person of either state who is authorized to make arrests for violations of the conservation or fish laws of that state shall have power and authority to make arrest on any part of the waters between the states, or the shores thereof, and to take any person, or persons, so arrested for trial to the state in which the violation was committed and there to prosecute the person, or persons, according to the laws of that state.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-5-7 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-5 / Section 20-5-7
§ 20-5-7. Hook-backs in leaders.
Status: in_force

Each leader shall be set as nearly as may be in a straight line and, with the exception of the traps permitted by § 20-5-5(7) and (8), no bend or angle in each leader known commonly as a hook-back shall be permitted.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-13-2 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-13 / Section 20-13-2
§ 20-13-2. Safety instruction  Certificate of competency  Liability.
Status: in_force

(a) The department of environmental management shall formulate courses of instruction in safe hunting practices and the handling and use of firearms and/or bow and arrow for persons applying for a license for the first time and shall designate one or more competent persons or organizations to give that instruction. Any person or organization so designated shall give safety instruction without charge to any person requesting instruction and shall, upon the successful completion of the course, forward the name of that person to the department. The department shall issue a certificate of competency to that person. The department may designate the police authorities of the several cities and towns to give safety instruction.

(b) There shall be no civil liability incurred, and no cause of action of any nature shall arise, against any member of the department of environmental management, its agents, servants, or employees, as a result of any decisions made by the department of environmental management, its members, agents, servants, or employees, under this section.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-10-4 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-10 / Section 20-10-4
§ 20-10-4. Application for a permit to conduct aquaculture.
Status: in_force

Any applicant desiring a permit to conduct aquaculture shall file with the CRMC a written application in any form that it may prescribe, setting forth the following information:

(1) The name and address of the applicant;

(2) A description of the location and amount of submerged land and water column to be subject to the permit;

(3) A description of the aquaculture activities to be conducted, including:

(i) Whether those activities are to be experimental or commercial;

(ii) A description of the species to be managed or cultivated within the permitted area; and

(iii) A description of the method or manner of aquaculture activity;

(4) An assessment of the current capability of the applicant to carry out those activities; and

(5) Any other information that the CRMC may by regulation require.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-2-2.1 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-2 / Section 20-2-2.1
§ 20-2-2.1. Expiration date.
Status: in_force

The expiration date of any license issued pursuant to this chapter shall be stamped on the license and not handwritten.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-17-11 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-17 / Section 20-17-11
§ 20-17-11. Forfeiture of unlawfully possessed animals.
Status: in_force

All wild birds and wild animals seized under the provision of this title, that were taken, possessed, or kept in violation of the law, shall be forfeited to the state in the manner provided by law, and disposed of by the director at his or her discretion.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-5-12 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-5 / Section 20-5-12
§ 20-5-12. Suspension or revocation of permit.
Status: in_force

If, upon inspection, it appears that any trap is improperly located, or it is otherwise being used in violation of the rules and regulations fixed by the director, the director of environmental management shall immediately cause notice to be given to the holder of any permit; and if those facts are established at a hearing, the director may suspend or revoke the permit.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-2-32 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-2 / Section 20-2-32
§ 20-2-32. Inspections condition of license.
Status: in_force

All persons granted a license under the provisions of this chapter are deemed to have consented to the reasonable inspection of any boat, vessel, net, rake, bullrake, tong, dredge, trap, pot, vehicle, structure, or other contrivance used regularly for the keeping or storage of fish, shellfish, crustaceans, or any game bag firearms, creel, box, locker, basket, crate, blind, stand, or hunting, fishing, or trapping paraphernalia used in conjunction with the licensed activity by persons duly authorized by the director.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-2-37 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-2 / Section 20-2-37
§ 20-2-37. Waterfowl stamp fees.
Status: in_force

(a) Stamps shall be sold at the direction of the director for a fee of eight dollars ($8.00). Commencing July 1, 2025, the fee for a stamp shall be nine dollars ($9.00). Commencing July 1, 2028, the fee for a stamp shall be ten dollars ($10.00). The issuing agent may retain a fee of fifty cents ($.50) for each stamp and shall remit the remainder of each fee to the department. The director shall establish a uniform sale price for all categories of by-products.

(b) [Deleted by P.L. 2002, ch. 65, art. 13, § 16.]
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-11-20 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-11 / Section 20-11-20
§ 20-11-20. Penalties.
Status: in_force

Any person who violates any provision of this chapter, or who violates any rule or regulation made under the provisions of this chapter, shall be guilty of a civil violation and be subject to a fine of one hundred dollars ($100) for each offense. Jurisdiction over violations of this chapter shall be with the traffic tribunal.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-6-8 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-6 / Section 20-6-8
§ 20-6-8. Opening areas for quahaug dredging.
Status: in_force

Pursuant to good conservation practices, the director shall be authorized to open areas of the public waters of the state for taking quahaugs under license by a registered boat, by dredges, rakes, or other apparatus operated by mechanical power or hauled by power boats, and shall be authorized to close those areas at any time there is a danger of depletion of quahaugs or when flagrant violations of this chapter occur.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-1-8 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-1 / Section 20-1-8
§ 20-1-8. Enforcement powers of director and conservation officers.
Status: in_force

(a) The director and each conservation officer shall have the power:

(1) To enforce all laws, rules, and regulations of this state pertaining to:

(i) Fish, wildlife, and all vertebrates, invertebrates, and plants;

(ii) Freshwater wetlands, dams, and resources;

(iii) Areas and activities subject to the jurisdiction of the coastal resources management council;

(iv) State parks, reservations, management areas, hatcheries, game preserves, any law of the state within state parks, lands cooperatively managed, facilities that host official department events, and properties leased by the department;

(v) Solid and hazardous waste transportation, storage, and disposal and any other laws of the state regarding solid and/or hazardous wastes;

(vi) Boating safety, water safety, and drowning prevention;

(vii) Water and air pollution and open burning;

(viii) Firearms;

(ix) Littering;

(x) Trees and forests, forestry, and protection of forests from fire hazards and trespass;

(xi) Agriculture, farmland, and pest control; and

(xii) All-terrain vehicles, as defined in § 31-3.2-1(8).

(2) To issue summonses and to execute all warrants and search warrants for the violation of the laws, rules, and regulations enumerated in subsections (a)(1) or (a)(9);

(3) To serve subpoenas issued for the trial or hearing of all offenses against the law, rules, and regulations enumerated in subsections (a)(1) or (a)(9);

(4) To arrest, without a warrant, any person found violating any law, rule, or regulation enumerated in subsection (a)(1), take that person before a court of competent jurisdiction, and detain that person in custody at the expense of the state until arraignment, except when a summons can be issued in accordance with § 12-7-11;

(5) To seize and take possession of all fish, shellfish, crustaceans, marine mammals, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals in possession, or under control of, any person or that have been shipped, or are about to be shipped, at any time, in any manner, or for any purpose contrary to the laws of this state, and dispose of them at the discretion of the director;

(6) To seize all fishing tackle, firearms, shooting and hunting paraphernalia, hunting, fishing, or trapping licenses, traps, decoys, tongs, bullrakes, dredges, or other implements or appliances used in violation of any law, rule, or regulation relating to fish, shellfish, crustaceans, marine mammals, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals, or any equipment, materials, tools, implements, samples of substances, or any other item used in the violation of any other law, rule, or regulation enumerated in subsection (a)(9), when making an arrest as found in the execution of a search warrant, and hold the seized item or items at the owners expense until the fine and costs imposed for the violation have been paid in full;

(7)(i) To go on board any boat or vessel engaged, or believed to be engaged, in fishing and examine any fishing, shellfish, scallop, lobster, multipurpose, or other license issued under this title;

(ii) To go on board any boat or vessel engaged, or believed to be engaged, in fishing and to inspect that boat or vessel for compliance with the provisions of this title and any rules relative to the taking of fish, shellfish, crustaceans, marine mammals, amphibians, and reptiles. In the absence of probable cause to believe that a crime relative to the taking of these marine species has been, or is being, committed, any evidence obtained as the result of a boarding (other than for the purpose of examining a license) or of an inspection may not be used in a criminal prosecution;

(8) To carry firearms or other weapons, concealed or otherwise, in the course of, and in performance of, the duties of office; and

(9) To arrest without a warrant, to execute all warrants and search warrants, and to make and execute complaints within any district to the justice or clerk of the district court without recognizance or surety against any person for the following criminal offenses:

(i) Assault;

(ii) Assault with a dangerous weapon;

(iii) Larceny;

(iv) Vandalism;

(v) Obstructing officer in execution of duty.

(b) Conservation officers shall be deemed officer within the meaning of § 11-32-1.

(c) It shall be a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of not more than five hundred dollars ($500) or imprisonment for not more than thirty (30) days, or both, for any person to refuse to move or to stop on an oral command or order of a conservation officer when the officer is acting in the performance of the officers duties.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-15-7 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-15 / Section 20-15-7
§ 20-15-7. Wildlife colliding with vehicles.
Status: in_force

The owner of any vehicle that has been substantially damaged by collision with wildlife shall, within twenty-four (24) hours after the collision, report the accident to the department of environmental management. The department shall promulgate rules and regulations governing possession and use of the animal carcass. The driver of any vehicle involved in a collision with a deer shall have the right of first refusal to possess and use the deer carcass.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-7-17 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-7 / Section 20-7-17
§ 20-7-17. Violations as to blue crabs.
Status: in_force

Any person violating any of the provisions of §§ 20-7-15 and 20-7-16 shall be fined up to fifty dollars ($50.00) and costs for each offense.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-4-14 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-4 / Section 20-4-14
§ 20-4-14. Direct sales.
Status: in_force

(a) The director of the department of environmental management pursuant to the authority and provisions of this title shall issue and enforce rules, regulations, and orders with respect to the following matters and activities:

(1) Authorizing the transportation and sale of allowable species of live lobsters, live crabs, and live whelk by the holder of a license issued pursuant to subsection (a)(2), or by the authorized agent/crewmember of the license holder, from the vessel or dockside from the vessel on which the seafood was harvested to a consumer or licensed seafood retailer; and

(2) Issuance of a direct sale dealer license to applicants possessing a resident commercial fishing license or resident landing permit, and who provide documentation to the satisfaction of the director that the applicant has permission or authority from both the property owner and the municipality of the location where the sales subject to the provisions of subsection (a)(1) shall be conducted.

(b) Rules, regulations, and orders promulgated by the director pursuant to subsection (a) shall include the following provisions:

(1) Only the licensee, or a regularly employed crewmember of the licensee, may sell allowable species under the direct sale dealer license. To be eligible to conduct such sales, a crewmember must first receive written authorization from the licensee. Such authorization shall be in the form of a typewritten statement, signed and dated by the licensee, that expressly authorizes the crewmember to act on behalf of the licensee with regard to direct sales. The statement shall further specify: the name of the crewmember; the name of the vessel from which the sales are conducted; and the month and year that the crewmember began working on the vessel. The statement shall be kept on the vessel and be available at all times for inspection by department personnel. A crewmember who is acting on behalf of a licensee must comply with all applicable regulations governing direct sales, as set forth in this subsection, and the licensee shall be responsible for any violations of regulations by the crewmember;

(2) All direct sale activities must be conducted in a manner consistent with applicable federal, state, and municipal laws, regulations, and polices governing port and marina operations;

(3) Lobsters, crabs, and whelk must be sold live;

(4) Finfish may be headed, gutted, and bled dockside from the vessel. No other processing may be done dockside from the vessel;

(5) Transporting is limited to lobsters, crabs, and whelk harvested from individual vessels and sold and transported by the individual harvester or affiliated crewmembers. The name of the vessel and license holder, provided in writing and legible, must accompany all transported lobsters, crabs, and whelk; and

(6) All seafood must be stored and handled in a safe and sanitary manner pursuant to department regulations.

(c) Nothing in this section shall be construed to permit:

(1) The direct sale of histamine producing fish, including bluefish, tuna, mackerel, herring, mahi mahi, bonito, swordfish, marlin, sailfish, wahoo, anchovy, sardines, shad, menhaden as well as amberjack, escolar, hind, jack, kahawai, milkfish, saury, scad, spearfish, sprat and trevally, and striped bass; or

(2) The transportation for sale of finfish to consumers and/or retailers. All sales of finfish must be sold dockside from the vessel.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-15-2 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-15 / Section 20-15-2
§ 20-15-2. Deer permits.
Status: in_force

(a) No person shall hunt deer within this state unless that person possesses a deer tag. Any resident or nonresident holder of a hunting license or combination license may obtain a shotgun, muzzle-loading rifle, or crossbow, or archery deer tag from the director. The deer permit shall be carried at all times by the person to whom it is issued while hunting for deer. Any person who takes a deer in this state shall immediately affix his or her tag portion of his or her deer permit to the carcass of the taken deer, and, within twenty-four (24) hours of the taking, convey the deer to an environmental police officer or other designee of the department, or to a deer-check station, if one is in operation at the time, for checking. Any dead deer found not having a tag attached to it identifying the owner shall be the property of the state and shall be seized by any environmental police officer who finds or locates the carcass, to be disposed of by direction of the director.

(b) Crossbow permits. Crossbow permits may be issued by the department to those persons who have a permanent physical impairment due to injury or disease, congenital or acquired, that renders them so severely disabled as to be unable to use a conventional bow and arrow device. Said permits will be issued by the department only after the receipt of a physicians statement confirming the applicant is impaired as referred to above. All permittees must have taken and successfully completed both hunter education and bow hunter education classes prior to the issuance of a permit.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-2-38.1 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-2 / Section 20-2-38.1
§ 20-2-38.1. Grants, donations, and gifts to the waterfowl fund.
Status: in_force

The director is authorized to accept any grant, devise, bequest, donation, gift or assignment of money, bonds, or other valuable securities for deposit in the waterfowl fund, which may be accepted for specific use(s) that the grant and grantee may jointly identify within the purposes of the waterfowl fund, or for the general purposes of the fund. The director may also accept land as provided in § 20-18-1.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-2-6 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-2 / Section 20-2-6
§ 20-2-6. Appropriation of license fees.
Status: in_force

All moneys derived from payments received from freshwater fishing, hunting, and combination licenses and permits in accordance with the provisions of this chapter shall be deposited with the general treasurer and are appropriated to the department for the protection and propagation of fish and game; and the state controller is authorized and directed to draw his or her orders upon the general treasurer for the payment of any sum, or sums, as may be necessary, from time to time, upon receipt by him or her of duly authenticated vouchers presented by the director of environmental management; provided, however, nothing in this section shall be construed to deprive the city and town clerks and agents of their recording fees. The sum of two dollars ($2.00) from the sale of each license and permit shall be placed in a special fund for the acquisition, stewardship, and development of fish and wildlife lands.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-12-8 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-12 / Section 20-12-8
§ 20-12-8. Annual appropriations.
Status: in_force

The general assembly shall annually appropriate any sum it may deem necessary to carry into effect the provisions of this chapter.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-10-6 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-10 / Section 20-10-6
§ 20-10-6. Leases.
Status: in_force

(a) The CRMC, in accordance with chapter 6 of title 37, is authorized and empowered, when it shall serve the purposes of this chapter, to lease the land submerged under the coastal waters of the state, including any coastal ponds or estuaries to coastal rivers, and the water column above those submerged lands, to an applicant who has been granted an aquaculture permit pursuant to the provisions of this chapter; provided, that the CRMC finds that a lease giving the applicant exclusive use of the submerged lands and water column, including the surface of the water, is necessary to the effective conduct of the permitted aquaculture activities.

(b) Those leases shall be granted for a term concurrent with the term of the aquaculture permit and may be renewed from time to time upon renewal of the aquaculture permits.

(c) Those leases shall be subject to the terms and conditions of the aquaculture permit, and any renewal of the permit, and the provisions of this chapter and the rules and regulations adopted under this chapter. Failure to comply with the terms and conditions of the permit or renewal, or the provisions of this chapter, or the rules and regulations adopted under this chapter, shall be grounds for termination of the lease at the discretion of the CRMC.

(d) Any assignment or sublease of the whole or any part of the area subject to lease shall constitute a breach of the lease and constitute cause for the termination of the lease, unless that assignment or subletting has received the prior approval of the CRMC.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-16-5 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-16 / Section 20-16-5
§ 20-16-5. Possession of live raccoons.
Status: in_force

Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to prohibit a person from keeping a live raccoon or raccoons for either breeding or other purposes while having in his or her possession a permit or license issued by the department to do so.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-1-4 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-1 / Section 20-1-4
§ 20-1-4. Rules and regulations.
Status: in_force

The director is authorized to promulgate, adopt, and enforce any and all rules and regulations deemed necessary to carry out duties and responsibilities under this title.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-2-18.2 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-2 / Section 20-2-18.2
§ 20-2-18.2. Stocked game bird permits required.
Status: in_force

No person shall attempt to take any stocked game bird without first obtaining a regular hunting license and a stocked game bird permit for the current year.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-8-3 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-8 / Section 20-8-3
§ 20-8-3. Rhode Island representatives on interstate commission  Ex officio members.
Status: in_force

In pursuance of article III of the compact, § 20-8-1, there shall be three (3) members, hereinafter called commissioners, of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, the commission, from the state of Rhode Island. The first commissioner shall be the director of environmental management, ex officio, and the term of that ex officio commissioner shall terminate when he or she ceases to hold the office of director of environmental management. That persons successor as commissioner shall be his or her successor as director of environmental management. The second commissioner shall be a legislator and who may be a member of the commission on interstate cooperation, ex officio, designated by vote of the commission on interstate cooperation, and the term of that ex officio commissioner shall be for three (3) years and terminate when he or she ceases to hold legislative office or office as a commissioner on interstate co-operation, and his or her successor as commissioner shall be named in like manner. In the event that the commission on interstate cooperation shall have failed to have met and designated a commissioner, the position of commissioner shall alternate every three (3) years between a member of the house of representatives, appointed by the speaker, and a member of the senate appointed by the president of the senate, to a term of three (3) years which shall commence on July 1, and no commissioner appointed by the speaker or the senate president shall serve more than three (3) successive years. The appointments provided for herein shall commence on July 1, 2004, and the first appointment shall be made by the speaker of the house of representatives.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-2-11 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-2 / Section 20-2-11
§ 20-2-11. Transfer or loan of license.
Status: in_force

Unless otherwise provided in this title, a license issued to a person under this chapter shall be good only for the person to whom it is issued; and any transfer or loan of the license shall be grounds for revocation or suspension of that license pursuant to § 20-2-13.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-10-12 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-10 / Section 20-10-12
§ 20-10-12. Permits and licenses for the taking, possession, sale, importation, and transportation of species used in aquaculture.
Status: in_force

(a) The director is authorized and empowered to grant permits for, issue licenses for, and establish rules and regulations governing the taking, possession, sale, importation, and transportation of animal or plant species utilized in aquaculture; provided, however, that in the case of bivalves, no approval shall be given for the sale, possession, use, storage, or transportation of those species for human consumption without the written approval and permission of the director of health.

(b) Any person who takes, possesses, imports, or transports any animal or plant species as delineated in subsection (a) without a permit issued by the director shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and subject to imprisonment of not more than one year or a fine not exceeding five hundred dollars ($500), or both. The animal or plant species possessed, imported, or transported by that person may be forfeited to the state.

(c) In accordance with rules and regulations established under this section, permits issued by the director may provide for specific exemptions, notwithstanding other provisions of law, from quotas, catch or bag limits, seasons, minimum-size limits and other such restrictions on commercial fishing as the director, in consultation with the council, may determine to be inappropriate to commercial aquaculture.

(d) Any person who is granted permits for the conduct of aquaculture by the CRMC and the director in accordance with this chapter shall obtain a commercial aquaculture license to sell aquaculture products in the state to licensed fish and shellfish dealers. The license shall be issued by the department on a calendar-year basis for an annual fee of two hundred dollars ($200).
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-18-1 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-18 / Section 20-18-1
§ 20-18-1. Acquisition or control of land for protecting wildlife.
Status: in_force

The director may, in the name and for the use of the state, and subject to the approval of the state properties committee, acquire by gift, lease, purchase, or easement, land within the state for the purpose of protecting, conserving, cultivating, or propagating any species of wildlife, plant, or animal. The director may, with the consent of the owner of the land, control any land suitable with character and situation for those purposes. Any land so acquired or controlled by the department of environmental management shall be posted conspicuously and designated as a state park or management area.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-11-3 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-11 / Section 20-11-3
§ 20-11-3. Fishing devices allowed.
Status: in_force

Unless otherwise specified by regulations adopted by the department of environmental management, only a rod and reel or other device held in and operated by hand shall be used to catch, or attempt to catch, fish in the freshwaters of the state, except that suckers, fall fish, and carp may be taken by snares, spears, or bow and arrow, and minnows may be taken as provided in §§ 20-11-7  20-11-9. No person shall place, operate, or superintend more than two (2) of those devices for the purpose of taking or catching fish at any time, and no more than three (3) hooks may be attached to each device; provided, however, that for the purpose of fishing through ice upon the surface of any stream or freshwater pond, any person may place, operate, or superintend five (5) lines, with a single hook upon each and held by any device designed for that purpose, and provided further that every one of those lines shall be attended by a person lawfully permitted to catch fish.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-7-6 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-7 / Section 20-7-6
§ 20-7-6. Use of license by agent or employee.
Status: in_force

If any person to whom a sellers or a commercial lobster license is granted becomes incapacitated for any reason from using that license, that person may permit his or her agent or employee, if a citizen or legal resident of the United States, to perform those duties under the license that may be necessary during the period of the licensees incapacity; provided that the incapacitated licensee has notified the director of environmental management prior to the transfer of those duties.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-12-6 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-12 / Section 20-12-6
§ 20-12-6. Obstructions to fish culture.
Status: in_force

The director of environmental management may seize, and remove summarily if need be, all obstructions erected to hinder the passage of fish or that are illegally erected to obstruct, or in any way impede, the growth and culture of fish; and every person rebuilding or continuing any obstruction after it has been removed and notification has been given by the director, shall be fined not less than five hundred dollars ($500) for each offense.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-2-18.3 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-2 / Section 20-2-18.3
§ 20-2-18.3. Stocked game bird permit fees and bag limits.
Status: in_force

Permits shall be sold at the direction of the director for a fee of seventeen dollars ($17.00). Commencing July 1, 2025, the fee for a permit shall be eighteen dollars and fifty cents ($18.50). Commencing July 1, 2028, the fee for a permit shall be twenty-one dollars ($21.00). The issuing agent will retain a fee of fifty cents ($0.50) for each permit and shall remit the remainder to the department. The permit will allow the person to harvest a daily bag and season limit as described in regulations promulgated by the director. All monies derived by the department from the sale of stocked game bird permits shall be expended for stocking game birds and wildlife habitat acquisition in Rhode Island.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-10-7 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-10 / Section 20-10-7
§ 20-10-7. Fees.
Status: in_force

The CRMC shall establish, by regulation, fees for applications, permits, leases, and renewals. Those fees may be based on the cost of administration, including inspection, required by the aquaculture permitting process.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-1-7 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-1 / Section 20-1-7
§ 20-1-7. Deputy wardens.
Status: in_force

The director may appoint any number of deputy wardens that he or she may deem necessary. The deputy wardens shall not be authorized to carry pistols or revolvers, but shall be authorized to detect violators of the laws of this state enumerated in § 20-1-8. This detection shall be reported to the director who may proceed with the prosecution. Deputy wardens shall be given an identification badge by the director and shall serve at the directors pleasure.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-14-6 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-14 / Section 20-14-6
§ 20-14-6. Export of birds.
Status: in_force

No person shall carry or send beyond the limits of this state more than a two-day (2) bag limit of game birds.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-5-13 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-5 / Section 20-5-13
§ 20-5-13. Report as to traps placed  Failure to occupy location  Removal of permit from state.
Status: in_force

On or before the tenth day of January in each year, every person holding a permit pursuant to this chapter shall notify the department of environmental management in writing, under oath, what traps were placed under the permit during the preceding calendar year. Failure to furnish this information makes the permit null and void after that date. Failure to place a complete fish trap on a permitted location for a part of one calendar year may, in the discretion of the director of environmental management, make the permit for the fish trap null and void and the location will then become available for any suitable applicant. A permit for a fish trap location becomes null and void upon the removal of the holder from the state.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-14-7 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-14 / Section 20-14-7
§ 20-14-7. Prohibited methods of taking.
Status: in_force

(a) No person shall hunt, pursue, take, or attempt to take, upland or migratory game birds over any area that has been baited. For the purposes of this section a baited area is that on which salt, corn, wheat, or other grains have been scattered to lure, attract, or entice those birds to, on, or over, where hunters are attempting to take them and shall not be construed to include areas where corn, wheat, or other grains are scattered as the result of normal agricultural operations.

(b) No person shall hunt, pursue, take, or attempt to take migratory game birds by the use or aid of live birds as decoys.

(c) No person shall hunt, pursue, take, or attempt to take wild birds by the use of an electronically amplified recording of bird calls or sounds. However, this provision does not apply to crows.

(d) No person shall take, kill, or destroy any wild bird by means of any trap, snare, net, spring, crossbow, rifle, pistol, fishhook, poison, drug, explosive, or stupefying substance, nor shall any person construct, set, maintain, or repair any of these devices for the purpose of taking, killing, or destroying wild birds, except that a crossbow may be used to harvest wild turkeys in accordance with regulations established by the department of environmental management.

(e) No person shall shoot, or attempt to shoot, migratory game birds by means other than a shotgun of size ten (10) gauge or smaller, capable of holding three (3) or fewer shells, or a long bow (straight limb, reflex, recurve, crossbow, and compound bow) and arrow.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-10-1 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-10 / Section 20-10-1
§ 20-10-1. Declaration of intent and public policy.
Status: in_force

Whereas, R.I. Const., Art. I, Sec. 17, guarantees to the people the right to enjoy and freely exercise all rights of fishery, and imposes on the general assembly the responsibility to provide for the conservation of water, plant, and animal resources of the state; and

Whereas, it is in the best public interest of the people and the state that the land and waters of the state, are utilized properly and effectively to produce plant and animal life; and

Whereas, the process of aquaculture is a proper and effective method to cultivate plant and animal life; and

Whereas, the process of aquaculture should only be conducted within the waters of the state in a manner consistent with the best public interest, with particular consideration given to the effect of aquaculture on other uses of the free and common fishery and navigation, and the compatibility of aquaculture with the environment of the waters of the state; therefore,

It is the public policy of this state to preserve the waters of this state as free and common fishery. The health, welfare, environment, and general wellbeing of the people of the state require that the state restrict the uses of its waters and the land thereunder for aquaculture and, in the exercise of the police power, the waters of the state and land thereunder are to be regulated under this chapter.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-11-4 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-11 / Section 20-11-4
§ 20-11-4. Artificially cultivated fish.
Status: in_force

Nothing contained in this chapter shall be construed to prohibit the taking and possession, at any time of the year, fish artificially cultivated in private ponds. For the purpose of this section, a private pond is defined as a body of water that is completely in the ownership of one taxpayer.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-8-1 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-8 / Section 20-8-1
§ 20-8-1. Entry into compact authorized  Text.
Status: in_force

The governor of this state is hereby authorized and directed to execute a compact on behalf of the state of Rhode Island with any one or more of the states of Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida and with such other states as may enter into the compact, legally joining therein in the form substantially as follows:
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-1-11 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-1 / Section 20-1-11
§ 20-1-11. Prosecution of violations.
Status: in_force

It shall be the duty of the attorney general to conduct the prosecution of all court proceedings brought by the director as requested by the director.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-17-5 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-17 / Section 20-17-5
§ 20-17-5. Labeling of domestic game birds and animals for shipment by common carrier.
Status: in_force

Common carriers may receive and transport at any time carcasses of domestic game birds and animals tagged as provided in §§ 20-17-1 and 20-17-2, but to every package containing the carcasses shall be affixed a tag or label upon which shall be plainly printed or written the name, address, and number of the license of the person to whom the license was issued; the name or names of the person or persons to whom the package is to be transported; the number and kind of carcasses contained in the package; and the signed statement that the package contains domestic game.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-10-16.1 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-10 / Section 20-10-16.1
§ 20-10-16.1. License or permit suspension or revocation.
Status: in_force

The permit or license of any person who has violated the provisions of this chapter, or the rules and regulations issued pursuant to it, including anyone holding a license or permit found guilty of a violation in accordance with § 20-10-16(b), may be suspended or revoked by the CRMC or the director as the CRMC or the director shall determine by regulation. Any person aggrieved by an order of suspension or revocation may appeal this order in accordance with the provisions of the Administrative Procedures Act, chapter 35 of title 42.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-1-8.1 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-1 / Section 20-1-8.1
§ 20-1-8.1. Procedures for seizure and forfeiture.
Status: in_force

(a) Any vessel, boat, fishing tackle, guns, shooting and hunting paraphernalia, traps, decoys, or any other implements, appliances, or equipment used in violation of any law, rule, or regulation relating to fish and wildlife, that, by provision of any section of this title, is subject to forfeiture to the state, shall be seized pursuant to § 20-1-8(a)(6) and forfeited under the provisions of this section.

(b) The attorney general shall proceed pursuant to §§ 12-21-23  12-21-32, to show cause why the vessel, boat, fishing tackle, guns, shooting and hunting paraphernalia, traps, decoys, or any other implements, appliances, or equipment used in the knowing and willful violation of any law, rule, or regulation relating to fish and wildlife that, by provision of any section of this title, is subject to forfeiture to the state, may be forfeited to the use of or the sale of the department on producing due proof that the vessel, fishing tackle, guns, shooting and hunting paraphernalia, traps, decoys, or any other implements, appliances, or equipment was used in this violation.

(c) Whenever property is forfeited under this section and the specific provision of this title requiring forfeiture for a particular offense, the department may:

(1) Retain the property for official use; or

(2) Sell any forfeited property that is not required by this title to be destroyed and that is not harmful to the public; but the proceeds of this sale, after first deducting the amount sufficient for all proper expenses of the proceedings for forfeiture and sale, including expenses of seizure, maintenance of custody, and advertising and court costs, shall be paid to the general treasurer for the use of the state.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-39-1 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-39 / Section 20-39-1
§ 20-39-1. Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact.
Status: in_force

The Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact is entered with all states legally joining the compact, in the form substantially as follows:

(a) The participating states find that:

(1) Wildlife resources are managed in trust by the respective states for the benefit of all residents and visitors.

(2) The protection of the wildlife resources of a state is materially affected by the degree of compliance with state statutes, laws, regulations, ordinances, and administrative rules relating to the management of such resources.

(3) The preservation, protection, management, and restoration of wildlife contributes immeasurably to the aesthetic, recreational, and economic aspects of such natural resources.

(4) Wildlife resources are valuable without regard to political boundaries; therefore, every person should be required to comply with wildlife preservation, protection, management, and restoration laws, ordinances, and administrative rules and regulations of the participating states as a condition precedent to the continuance or issuance of any license to hunt, fish, trap, or possess wildlife.

(5) Violation of wildlife laws interferes with the management of wildlife resources and may endanger the safety of persons and property.

(6) The mobility of many wildlife law violators necessitates the maintenance of channels of communication among the various states.

(7) In most instances, a person who is cited for a wildlife violation in a state other than his/her home state:

(i) Is required to post collateral or a bond to secure appearance for a trial at a later date; or

(ii) Is taken into custody until the collateral or bond is posted; or

(iii) Is taken directly to court for an immediate appearance.

(8) The purpose of the enforcement practices set forth in subdivision (7) is to ensure compliance with the terms of a wildlife citation by the cited person who, if permitted to continue on his/her way after receiving the citation, could return to his/her home state and disregard his/her duty under the terms of the citation.

(9) In most instances, a person receiving a wildlife citation in his/her home state is permitted to accept the citation from the officer at the scene of the violation and immediately continue on his/her way after agreeing or being instructed to comply with the terms of the citation.

(10) The practices described in subdivision (7) cause unnecessary inconvenience and, at times, a hardship for the person who is unable at the time to post collateral, furnish a bond, stand trial, or pay a fine, and thus is compelled to remain in custody until some alternative arrangement is made.

(11) The enforcement practices described in subdivision (7) consume an undue amount of law enforcement time.

(b) It is the policy of the participating states to:

(1) Promote compliance with the statutes, laws, ordinances, regulations, and administrative rules relating to management of wildlife resources in their respective states.

(2) Recognize the suspension of wildlife license privileges of any person whose license privileges have been suspended by a participating state and treat such suspension as if it had occurred in their state.

(3) Allow a violator, except as provided in subsection (b) of Article III, to accept a wildlife citation and, without delay, proceed on his/her way, whether or not a resident of the state in which the citation was issued, provided that the violators home state is party to this compact.

(4) Report to the appropriate participating state, as provided in the compact manual, any conviction recorded against any person whose home state was not the issuing state.

(5) Allow the home state to recognize and treat convictions recorded against its residents, which convictions occurred in a participating state, as though they had occurred in the home state.

(6) Extend cooperation to its fullest extent among the participating states for enforcing compliance with the terms of a wildlife citation issued in one participating state to a resident of another participating state.

(7) Maximize effective use of law enforcement personnel and information.

(8) Assist court systems in the efficient disposition of wildlife violations.

(c) The purpose of this compact is to:

(1) Provide a means through which participating states may join in a reciprocal program to effectuate the policies enumerated in subsection (b) in a uniform and orderly manner.

(2) Provide for the fair and impartial treatment of wildlife violators operating within participating states in recognition of the violators right to due process and the sovereign status of a participating state.

(1) Citation means any summons, complaint, summons and complaint, ticket, penalty assessment, or other official document issued to a person by a wildlife officer or other peace officer for a wildlife violation which contains an order requiring the person to respond.

(2) Collateral means any cash or other security deposited to secure an appearance for trial in connection with the issuance by a wildlife officer or other peace officer of a citation for a wildlife violation.

(3) Compliance with respect to a citation means the act of answering a citation through an appearance in a court or tribunal, or through the payment of fines, costs, and surcharges, if any.

(4) Conviction means a final judgment, order, decree or decision of a court or administrative agency issued after notice and opportunity for hearing and containing a finding of guilt or violation of a state statute, law, regulation, ordinance or administrative rule.

(5) Court means a court of law, including magistrates court, and the justice of the peace court.

(6) Home state means the state of primary residence of a person.

(7) Issuing state means the participating state which issues a wildlife citation to the violator.

(8) License means any license, permit, or other public document which conveys to the person to whom it was issued the privilege of pursuing, possessing, or taking any wildlife regulated by statute, law, regulation, ordinance, or administrative rule of a participating state.

(9) Licensing authority means the department or division within each participating state which is authorized by law to issue or approve licenses or permits to hunt, fish, trap, or possess wildlife.

(10) Participating state means any state which enacts legislation to become a member of this wildlife compact.

(11) Personal recognizance means an agreement by a person made at the time of issuance of the wildlife citation that such person will comply with the terms of the citation.

(12) State means any state, territory, or possession of the United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Provinces of Canada, and other countries.

(13) Suspension means any revocation, denial, or withdrawal of any or all license privileges, including the privilege to apply for, purchase, or exercise the benefits conferred by any license.

(14) Terms of the citation means those conditions and options expressly stated upon the citation.

(15) Wildlife means all species of animals including, but not limited to, mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, amphibians, mollusks, and crustaceans, which are defined as wildlife and are protected or otherwise regulated by statute, law, regulation, ordinance, or administrative rule in a participating state. Species included in the definition of wildlife vary from state to state and determination of whether a species is wildlife for the purposes of this compact shall be based on local law.

(16) Wildlife law means any statute, law, regulation, ordinance, or administrative rule developed and enacted for the management of wildlife resources and the uses thereof.

(17) Wildlife officer means any individual authorized by a participating state to issue a citation for a wildlife violation.

(18) Wildlife violation means any cited violation of a statute, law, regulation, ordinance, or administrative rule developed and enacted for the management of wildlife resources and the uses thereof.

(a) When issuing a citation for a wildlife violation, a wildlife officer shall issue a citation to any person whose primary residence is in a participating state in the same manner as though the person were a resident of the issuing state and shall not require such person to post collateral to secure appearance, subject to the exceptions noted in subsection (b) if the officer receives the recognizance of such person that he/she will comply with the terms of the citation.

(b) Personal recognizance is acceptable:

(1) If not prohibited by state or local law or the compact manual; and

(2) If the violator provides adequate proof of identification to the wildlife officer.

(c) Upon conviction or failure of a person to comply with the terms of a wildlife citation, the appropriate official shall report the conviction or failure to comply to the licensing authority of the participating state in which the wildlife citation was issued. The report shall be made in accordance with procedures specified by the issuing state and shall contain information as specified in the compact manual as minimum requirements for effective processing by the home state.

(d) Upon receipt of the report of conviction or noncompliance pursuant to subsection (c), the licensing authority of the issuing state shall transmit to the licensing authority of the home state of the violator the information in form and content as prescribed in the compact manual.

(a) Upon receipt of a report from the licensing authority of the issuing state reporting the failure of a violator to comply with the terms of a citation, the licensing authority of the home state shall notify the violator and shall initiate a suspension action in accordance with the home states suspension procedures and shall suspend the violators license privileges until satisfactory evidence of compliance with the terms of the wildlife citation has been furnished by the issuing state to the home state licensing authority. All member states may honor a suspension based on failure to comply. Due process safeguards will be accorded.

(b) Upon receipt of a report of conviction from the licensing authority of the issuing state, the licensing authority of the home state may enter such conviction in its records and may treat such conviction as though it occurred in the home state for the purposes of the suspension of license privileges if the violation resulting in a suspension could have been the basis for suspension of license privileges in the home state.

(c) The licensing authority of the home state shall maintain a record of actions taken and shall make reports to issuing states as provided in the compact manual.

(a) All participating states shall recognize the suspension of license privileges of any person by any participating state as though the violation resulting in the suspension had occurred in their state and could have been the basis for suspension of license privileges in their state.

(b) Each participating state shall communicate suspension information to other participating states in form and content as contained in the compact manual.

Except as expressly required by provisions of this compact, nothing herein shall be construed to affect the right of any participating state to apply any of its laws relating to license privileges to any person or circumstance or to invalidate or prevent any agreement or other cooperative arrangement between a participating state and a nonparticipating state concerning wildlife law enforcement.

(a) For the purpose of administering the provisions of this compact and to serve as a governing body for the resolution of all matters relating to the operation of this compact, a board of compact administrators is established. The board shall be composed of one representative from each of the participating states to be known as the compact administrator. The compact administrator shall be appointed by the head of the licensing authority of each participating state and shall serve and be subject to removal in accordance with the laws of the state he or she represents. A compact administrator may provide for the discharge of his or her duties and the performance of his or her functions as a board member by an alternate. An alternate shall not be entitled to serve unless written notification of his or her identity has been given to the board.

(b) Each member of the board of compact administrators shall be entitled to one vote. No action of the board shall be binding unless taken at a meeting at which a majority of the total number of the boards votes are cast in favor thereof. Action by the board shall be only at a meeting at which a majority of the participating states are represented.

(c) The board shall elect annually from its membership a chairperson and vice-chairperson.

(d) The board shall adopt bylaws not inconsistent with the provisions of this compact or the laws of a participating state for the conduct of its business and shall have the power to amend and rescind its bylaws.

(e) The board may accept for any of its purposes and functions under this compact any and all donations and grants of moneys, equipment, supplies, materials, and services, conditional or otherwise, from any state, the United States, or any governmental agency, and may receive, utilize and dispose of same.

(f) The board may contract with, or accept services or personnel from, any governmental or intergovernmental agency, individual, firm, or corporation, or any private nonprofit organization or institution.

(g) The board shall formulate all necessary procedures and develop uniform forms and documents for administering the provisions of this compact. All procedures and forms adopted pursuant to board action shall be contained in a compact manual.

(a) This compact shall become effective at such time as it is adopted in substantially similar form by two (2) or more states.

(b)(1) Entry into the compact shall be made by resolution of ratification executed by the authorized officials of the applying state and submitted to the chairman of the board.

(2) The resolution shall substantially be in the form and content as provided in the compact manual and shall include the following:

(i) A citation of the authority from which the state is empowered to become a party to this compact;

(ii) An agreement of compliance with the terms and provisions of this compact; and

(iii) An agreement that compact entry is with all states participating in the compact and with all additional states legally becoming a party to the compact.

(3) The effective date of entry shall be specified by the applying state, but shall not be less than sixty (60) days after notice has been given:

(i) By the chairperson of the board of the compact administrators; or

(ii) By the secretary of the board to each participating state that the resolution from the applying state has been received.

(c) A participating state may withdraw from participation in this compact by official written notice to each participating state, but withdrawal shall not become effective until ninety (90) days after the notice of withdrawal is given. The notice shall be directed to the compact administrator of each member state. No withdrawal of any state shall affect the validity of this compact as to the remaining participating states.

(a) This compact may be amended from time to time. Amendments shall be presented in resolution form to the chairman of the board of compact administrators and shall be initiated by one or more participating states.

(b) Adoption of an amendment requires endorsement by all participating states and shall become effective thirty (30) days after the date of the last endorsement.

(c) Failure of a participating state to respond to the compact chairperson within one hundred twenty (120) days after receipt of a proposed amendment shall constitute endorsement thereof.

This compact must be liberally construed so as to effectuate the purposes stated herein. The provisions of this compact shall be severable and if any phrase, clause, sentence, or provision of this compact is declared to be contrary to the constitution of any participating state or of the United States, or the applicability thereof to any government, agency, individual, or circumstance is held invalid, the validity of the remainder of this compact shall not be affected thereby. If this compact shall be held contrary to the constitution of any participating state, the compact shall remain in full force and effect as to the remaining states and in full force and effect as to the participating state affected as to all severable matters.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-2-31 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-2 / Section 20-2-31
§ 20-2-31. Hunting and fishing licenses  Exceptions.
Status: in_force

(a) Every valid license to hunt or fish in this state that is held by any resident of this state upon joining the armed forces or the merchant marine of the United States is hereby extended and is in force and valid until six (6) months following the termination of his or her service.

(b) Every member of the armed forces or of the merchant marine of the United States may hunt or fish in this state if that person procures a hunting or fishing license issued by the state of Rhode Island, the fee for which is that charged for a resident civilian.

(c) Every man or woman who was a part of the armed forces of the United States government and is now a one hundred percent (100%) disabled veteran, and any man or woman who is one hundred percent (100%) permanently disabled, is entitled, subject to the provisions of this title, to receive a license to hunt or fish or both in this state; and upon the presentation of his or her necessary military discharge identification or disability papers or both, as prescribed by the department of environmental management, shall, at the discretion of the licensing authority, receive, without the payment of any license fee, a continuing special form of license authorizing the man or woman to hunt or fish or both in this state in accordance with the provisions of this title and regulations issued pursuant to this title for so long as he or she so desires; provided, however, that the man or woman, having once made application for this license, shall not again be required to appear before the licensing authority to present his or her papers.

(d) A freshwater fishing license is not required of any blind person. For the purposes of this section, a person is blind only if his or her central visual acuity does not exceed 20/200 in the better eye with correcting lenses or if his or her visual acuity is greater than 20/200 but is accompanied by a limitation in the fields of vision such that the widest diameter of the visual field subtends an angle no greater than twenty degrees (20Â°).

(e) Every resident man or woman over the age of sixty-five (65) years is entitled, subject to the provisions of this title and the regulations issued pursuant to this title, to receive a special permanent license to hunt or fish or both in this state for which there is no fee.

(f) Any man or woman who is one hundred percent (100%) permanently disabled may apply to receive a license to fish in this state, and upon presentation of a proof of his or her disability as prescribed by the department of environmental management, receive, without the payment of any license fee, a continuing special form of license authorizing the man or woman to fish in this state for so long as he or she so desires; provided, however, that the man or woman, having once made application for this license, shall not again be required to appear before the licensing authority to present his or her papers.

(g) The director may, by regulation, designate no more than two (2) days in each year, which may or may not be consecutive, during which residents and nonresidents may, without having a license and without payment of any fee, exercise the privileges of a holder of a freshwater fishing license. These persons are subject to all other limitations, restrictions, conditions, laws, rules, and regulations applicable to the holder of a freshwater fishing license.

(h) For the purpose of this section, man or woman who is one hundred percent (100%) permanently disabled means an individual who has a physical or mental impairment and is receiving:

(1) Social Security Disability Insurance Benefits (SSDI);

(2) Supplemental Security Income benefits (SSI).

All licenses that are issued to persons who qualify pursuant to this subsection shall be issued without the requirement of the payment of a fee and shall expire annually on February 28 of each year. Persons seeking the issuance or reissuance of licenses shall be required to present documentation establishing that the applicant is qualified, or remains qualified, pursuant to this subsection.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-4-13 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-4 / Section 20-4-13
§ 20-4-13. Commercial gill net fishery  License or permit required.
Status: in_force

It shall be unlawful for any person to set, haul, and/or maintain a commercial gill net in the public waters of the state without first obtaining a license or permit as provided in § 20-2.1-5(2)(ii)(C). Any person violating the provisions of this section shall, upon conviction, be punished by a fine not exceeding five hundred dollars ($500) or imprisoned for not more than one year, or both.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-17-9 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-17 / Section 20-17-9
§ 20-17-9. Importation of live fish and game.
Status: in_force

The director may, by regulation, prohibit or otherwise regulate the importation of any live fish, birds, or animals from any other state, or from a foreign country, that is not regulated by the department of health under chapter 18 of title 4.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-2-13 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-2 / Section 20-2-13
§ 20-2-13. License revocation.
Status: in_force

The license of any person who has violated the provisions of this title or the rules and regulations issued pursuant to this title may be suspended or revoked by the director in any manner and for any period as the director shall determine by regulation. Any person aggrieved by an order of suspension or revocation may appeal this order in accordance with the provisions of the Administrative Procedures Act, chapter 35 of title 42.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-3-5 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-3 / Section 20-3-5
§ 20-3-5. Emergencies.
Status: in_force

The marine fisheries council may, without requirement of notice of hearing, recommend closure of any or all of the coastal waters of the state to the taking of any or all types of fish, lobsters, and shellfish where it determines that a biological emergency exists that imminently threatens the marine resources of the state subject to the provisions of § 42-35-3(b).
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-1-28 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-1 / Section 20-1-28
§ 20-1-28. Regulation of exotic baitfish  Prohibition on importation, sale and transport of exotic baitfish species.
Status: in_force

(a) No person shall import, transport, culture, or sell exotic species of baitfish, as specified by the director, in Rhode Island. The director shall promulgate rules and regulations governing the prohibition and its applicability. The regulations shall include a list of approved native baitfish and a list of prohibited non-native or exotic species. The prohibition and its enforcement shall not become effective until the rules and regulations governing the prohibition and its applicability take effect.

(b) Violations of this section shall be punishable by a fine of not more than five hundred dollars ($500).
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-1-22 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-1 / Section 20-1-22
§ 20-1-22. Severability.
Status: in_force

The provisions of this title shall be interpreted and construed liberally in aid of its declared purpose. If any provision of any of the chapters in this title, or any rule or regulation issued under this title, is held invalid by a court of competent jurisdiction, the remainder of the title and rules and regulations shall not be affected, but shall be construed in such a way as to give all the provisions of this title full and valid effect to the fullest extent consistent with the law. The invalidity of any section or parts of any section shall not affect the validity of the remainder of this title.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-2-28.2 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-2 / Section 20-2-28.2
§ 20-2-28.2. Deposit of fees.
Status: in_force

In any fiscal year, moneys generated from license fees and vessel fees, provided for in §§ 20-2-22 and 20-2-24 and chapter 2.1 of this title, over and above the sum of two hundred thousand dollars ($200,000) through June 30, 2003, and on or after July 1, 2003, the full amount shall be deposited with the general treasurer and appropriated to the department of environmental management. The state controller is authorized and directed to draw orders upon the general treasurer for payment of any sum, or sums, as may be necessary, from time to time, upon receipt by him or her of duly authenticated vouchers presented by the director of environmental management. The moneys received under this section, consistent with an annual plan for the allocation and use of said funds adopted by the department with the advice of the marine fisheries council, are to be used only for the purpose of fishery conservation and restoration and resource enhancement, a minimum of two hundred thousand dollars ($200,000) for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2003, and each fiscal year thereafter, and for the following specific purposes:

(1) For protection and propagation of marine fish, lobsters, and shellfish;

(2) For additional enforcement of the marine fishery regulations;

(3) For transplanting shellfish from closed areas or enhancing the shellfish resource through other technologies including seeding;

(4) For fishing port development and construction;

(5) For staff support of, and expenses incurred by, the marine fisheries council;

(6) For lease and purchase of land or acquisition of conservation easements; and

(7) For technical support to, and expenses incurred by, the department for the collection, processing, analysis, and maintenance of data for fisheries management.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-16-18 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-16 / Section 20-16-18
§ 20-16-18. Unlawful possession or sale of furbearers.
Status: in_force

It is unlawful for any person to have in his or her possession any furbearer, or any part of a furbearer, unless it has been legally taken under the provisions of this chapter or chapter 17 of this title, or shall have been legally imported from another state or country. It is unlawful for any person at any time to sell, or offer for sale, any cottontail rabbit, varying hare, or gray squirrel, or any part thereof, excepting inedible parts such as heads, feet, hides, skins, or tails.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-13-9 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-13 / Section 20-13-9
§ 20-13-9. Hunting along or across highways.
Status: in_force

It is unlawful for any person to hunt, pursue, kill, or shoot at any bird or animal along, upon, or across any public highway in this state.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-2-39 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-2 / Section 20-2-39
§ 20-2-39. Definitions.
Status: in_force

As used in §§ 20-2-39  20-2-43, the following terms shall have the following meanings:

(1) Stamp means a Rhode Island trout conservation stamp issued by the division of fish and wildlife as provided for in § 20-2-41; and

(2) Trout means any fish species in the family salmonidae including all species of trout, salmon, and charr.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-38-1 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-38 / Section 20-38-1
§ 20-38-1. Short title.
Status: in_force

This chapter shall be known and may be cited as the Rhode Island Seafood Marketing Collaborative of 2011.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-13-12 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-13 / Section 20-13-12
§ 20-13-12. Reports of hunting injuries.
Status: in_force

Every person causing an injury to a human being by gunfire while hunting; or inflicting an injury upon himself or herself with firearms while hunting; or inflicting an injury upon himself or herself while trapping shall make a report to the department of environmental management within seventy-two (72) hours after the injury, unless that person is physically incapable of making the required report, in which event it is the duty of that person to designate some other person to file the report within the specified time.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-12-7 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-12 / Section 20-12-7
§ 20-12-7. Violations as to fish cultivation projects.
Status: in_force

No person shall take any fish or fish spawn, or any apparatus used in hatching or protecting fish, from any pond, lake, river, or stream stocked with, or set apart by, the director of environmental management, by any city or town, or by private parties, without the consent of the director, city or town council, or private party, nor shall any person violate any rule or regulation adopted regarding fish cultivation projects.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-6-15 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-6 / Section 20-6-15
§ 20-6-15. Soft-shell clams  Method of taking.
Status: in_force

No person, either as principal, agent, or employee, shall dig or take by any method other than by forks, rakes, hoes, tongs, or any other device operated by hand, from any of the waters of this state, any soft-shell clam. Any violation of the provisions of this section shall be punishable by a fine of not less than ten ($10.00) nor more than fifty dollars ($50.00).
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-13-4 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-13 / Section 20-13-4
§ 20-13-4. Certificate of competency required for initial license.
Status: in_force

(a) No license to hunt shall be issued to any person unless that person has held a hunting license in a prior year or unless the person presents to the licensing agent a certificate of competency issued under § 20-13-2, or under an equivalent hunter safety program adopted by any other state; provided, that in the case of those qualifying only for use of archery equipment, the licensing agent shall mark across the face of the license archery only. A hunting license designated archery only is limited to the use of bows and arrows while hunting or pursuing game in this state. Each agent shall transmit all competency certificates presented to the agent to the department of environmental management, along with the reports required to be filed pursuant to § 20-2-3.

(b) Any person who is serving in, or who has been honorably discharged from, the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Space Force, or Coast Guard, or any womens auxiliary branch, is not required to obtain a certificate of competency under this section or § 20-13-2.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-10-2 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-10 / Section 20-10-2
§ 20-10-2. Definitions.
Status: in_force

As used in this chapter:

(1) Aquaculture refers to the cultivation, rearing, or propagation of aquatic plants or animals under either natural or artificial conditions;

(2) CRMC means the coastal resources management council;

(3) Director or department means the director of or the department of environmental management;

(4) MFC means the marine fisheries council;

(5) Water column means the vertical extent of water, including the surface thereof, above a designated area of submerged bottom land.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-2-7 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-2 / Section 20-2-7
§ 20-2-7. Use of license proceeds.
Status: in_force

The moneys received under § 20-2-6 are to be used for the following specific purposes:

(1) Leasing and purchase of land and rights-of-way to streams and ponds to be stocked with fish by the department and to be opened to public fishing;

(2) For stream improvement;

(3) For the enforcement of fish and game laws;

(4) For the protection and propagation of fish and game; and

(5) For the leasing and purchase of land or acquisition of conservation easements for the purpose of creating wildlife reservations and protecting wildlife habitats.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-6-7 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-6 / Section 20-6-7
§ 20-6-7. Use of dredges.
Status: in_force

Except as hereinafter provided and unless otherwise specified by regulation, no person shall take any oysters, bay quahaugs, or soft-shell clams from the waters of this state by dredges, rakes, or other apparatus operated by mechanical power or hauled by power boats. No licensed person shall cast, haul, or have overboard any dredges while fishing for oysters, bay quahaugs, or soft-shell clams from the free and common fisheries of this state, nor shall any licensed boat be used for fishing oysters, soft-shell clams, or bay quahaugs with dredges, except as provided in this section; provided, that any person having a license issued under this title for the taking of scallops may use a dredge or dredges, not exceeding six (6) in number nor exceeding twenty-eight inches (28³) each in width, for that purpose; provided further, that the licensee shall immediately return all oysters, soft-shell clams, or bay quahaugs caught by the licensee to the waters from which they were taken. Any licensed boat may be used in dredging for mussels by the licensee of that boat, the licensee having first obtained a permit from the director of environmental management allowing the licensee so to do; provided, the licensee, while dredging for mussels under the permit granted the licensee by the director, shall immediately return all oysters, scallops, or bay quahaugs caught by the licensee to the waters from which they were taken. The fact of any licensed person being found with oysters, scallops, or bay quahaugs in their possession while dredging for mussels shall be prima facie evidence that person was fishing in violation of the provisions of this chapter and shall be subject to the penalties and fines imposed by this chapter. Any resident dredging for surf clams or skimmers shall not be in violation of this section if that dredging is done southerly of the coastline of Little Compton, southerly of a line extending from Church point, in the town of Little Compton, to Flint point on Aquidneck Island, southerly of the coastline of Aquidneck Island, southerly of a line extending from Castle Hill point on Aquidneck Island, to southwest point of Conanicut Island to Bonnet point, Narragansett, easterly of the coastline of the town of Narragansett, southerly of the coastline of the towns of Narragansett, South Kingstown, and Charlestown, and westerly to the Connecticut line. For the purpose of this section, coastline refers to the land facing the open sea.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-4-3 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-4 / Section 20-4-3
§ 20-4-3. Otter trawls, pair trawls, and beam trawls  Areas allowed.
Status: repealed

Any duly licensed resident commercial fisherman and a nonresident commercial fisherman licensed pursuant to § 20-2-28 [repealed], may operate otter, beam, or pair trawls or other mechanical trawling device subject to rules and regulations of the marine fisheries council, in the area of Narragansett Bay, and Sakonnet River south of a line, extending from Spink Neck in the town of North Kingstown in a northeasterly direction to Pine Hill Point on Prudence Island and from a point at Homestead Dock on the easterly shore of Prudence Island, thence northeasterly to Hog Island shoal light, thence to the north abutment of Mt. Hope Bridge in the town of Bristol, and south of a line extending from McCurry Point on the east side of the town of Portsmouth northeasterly in a line to southerly point of Jacks Island, so-called, in the town of Tiverton.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-4-1 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-4 / Section 20-4-1
§ 20-4-1. Commercial fishing.
Status: in_force

No person shall engage in the taking for sale, by any manner, method, or contrivance, of any marine finfish, shellfish, crustacean, or other invertebrate; and no vessel, boat, trap, seine, or other fishing gear shall be used in the taking for sale or landing of any marine finfish, shellfish, crustacean, or other invertebrate unless a license or permit has been obtained as provided in this title. Provided, however, that for all commercial fisheries except shellfish, any number of unlicensed crews may assist in direct commercial harvest operations regardless of the manner, method, or contrivance employed, as long as said crew is/are located onboard a commercially declared vessel that is operated by an individual who possesses a valid and proper commercial fishing license and is/are under the direct supervision and responsibility of said properly licensed commercial fisher. With respect to commercial shellfish operations, unlicensed crews may only assist with culling activities and other indirect harvest operations, as the director may determine by regulations adopted pursuant to this title, while said crew is/are located onboard a commercially declared vessel that is operated by an individual who possesses a valid and proper commercial fishing license and is/are under the direct supervision and responsibility of said properly licensed commercial fisher.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-1-26 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-1 / Section 20-1-26
§ 20-1-26. Freshwater invasive aquatic plants  Prohibition on importation and possession.
Status: in_force

(a) No person shall import, transport, disperse, distribute, introduce, sell, purchase, or possess in the state any species of non-native (exotic) freshwater invasive aquatic plants, as defined by the director. The director shall promulgate rules and regulations governing the prohibition and its applicability. The prohibition and its enforcement shall not become effective until the rules and regulations governing the prohibition and its applicability take effect.

(b) Violations of this section shall be punishable by a fine of not more than five hundred dollars ($500).
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-16-3 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-16 / Section 20-16-3
§ 20-16-3. Possession of ferrets prohibited.
Status: in_force

No person shall own or have in his or her possession in this state a European ferret, nor shall any person use ferrets in hunting any game in this state. In addition to the penalties provided in § 20-1-16, any person violating the provisions of this section shall forfeit the ferret(s). The director may, upon application, give special permission for ownership and possession of a European ferret.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-6-17 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-6 / Section 20-6-17
§ 20-6-17. Taking and possession of seed scallops.
Status: in_force

Every person taking any seed scallops, and failing to restore them as soon as possible to their natural beds in the water from which taken, shall be fined not less than twenty dollars ($20.00) nor more than one hundred dollars ($100) or be imprisoned not exceeding thirty (30) days, or both, for each offense. For the purpose of this chapter, a seed scallop means a scallop with a bright, thin, slightly curved shell with no foreign adherent, the shell having no well-defined raised annual growth line, and the scallop being less than one year old.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-15-5 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-15 / Section 20-15-5
§ 20-15-5. Possession of unlawful weapons while hunting.
Status: in_force

No person shall use, or have in his or her possession, while hunting for deer, pistols, guns, or other firearms, spear guns, crossbows, explosive points, poisonous or barbed points, or any other projectile, propelled by any means, capable of carrying or injecting any incapacitating drug or chemical; provided, however, that a duly licensed person may hunt for deer by shotgun, muzzle-loading rifle, long bow (straight limb, reflex, recurve, or compound bow) or crossbow. Possession of any deer showing evidence that it was taken with a prohibited device shall be a violation of this section. Upon conviction of a violation of any provision of this section, any weapons, guns, or ammunition shall be forfeited to the state.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-39-2 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-39 / Section 20-39-2
§ 20-39-2. Department authorization to effect purposes of compact.
Status: in_force

(a) The department of environmental management shall enforce the Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact and shall do all things within the departments jurisdiction that are appropriate in order to effectuate the purposes and the intent of the compact.

(b) The department is authorized, on behalf of the state, to enter or withdraw from the Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact pursuant to the terms of article VIII of the compact codified pursuant to § 20-39-1.

(c) The department is authorized to adopt amendments to the Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact pursuant to the terms of article IX of the compact codified pursuant to § 20-39-1.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-2-18.1 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-2 / Section 20-2-18.1
§ 20-2-18.1. Wild turkey permits.
Status: in_force

(a) No person shall attempt to take any wild turkey without first obtaining a regular hunting license and a turkey permit for the current year. Permits shall be sold at the direction of the director for a fee of eight dollars ($8.00) for residents and twenty-one dollars and fifty cents ($21.50) for nonresidents. Commencing July 1, 2025, permits shall be sold for a fee of nine dollars ($9.00) for residents and twenty-three dollars ($23.00) for nonresidents. Commencing July 1, 2028, permits shall be sold for a fee of ten dollars and fifty cents ($10.50) for residents and twenty-four dollars and fifty cents ($24.50) for nonresidents. The issuing agent may retain a fee of fifty cents ($.50) for each permit and shall remit the remainder to the department.

(b) A wild turkey permit shall be good only for the season in which it is issued.

(c) All monies derived by the department from the sale of wild turkey permits shall be expended for turkey habitat acquisition in Rhode Island and wild turkey restoration management and research.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-6-29 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-6 / Section 20-6-29
§ 20-6-29. Penalty for improper taking of transferred shellfish.
Status: in_force

Any person violating rules or regulations promulgated by the director of environmental management as provided for in §§ 20-6-26  20-6-28, shall, upon conviction, be subject to a fine not exceeding five hundred dollars ($500) or imprisoned not exceeding thirty (30) days, or both.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-38-4 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-38 / Section 20-38-4
§ 20-38-4. Collaborative established.
Status: in_force

(a) There is hereby created a collaborative known as The Rhode Island seafood marketing collaborative consisting of nineteen (19) members as follows:

(1) The director of the department of environmental management, or his or her designee, who shall serve as chairperson;

(2) The chief executive officer of the commerce corporation, or his or her designee;

(3) The chief of the division of marine fisheries of the department of environmental management, or his or her designee;

(4) The director of the department of health, or his or her designee;

(5) The chief of the division of agriculture of the department of environmental management, or his or her designee;

(6) The executive director of the coastal resources management council, or his or her designee;

(7) The director of administration, or his or her designee;

(8) The dean of the university of Rhode Island college of environment and life sciences, or his or her designee;

(9) The director of the Rhode Island sea grant program, or his or her designee; and

(10) Ten (10) additional members, each of whom shall be appointed by the director of the department of environmental management, in accordance with the following categories:

(i) Two (2) Rhode Island-based dealers/wholesalers/processors who purchase and sell finfish, shellfish, and/or crustaceans;

(ii) Two (2) commercial aquaculturists;

(iii) A Rhode Island-based retailer of seafood products associated with a restaurant or restaurant organization;

(iv) A Rhode Island-based retailer of seafood products associated with an independent or franchised store;

(v) Two (2) commercial fishermen licensed to harvest and/or land in Rhode Island;

(vi) A member of an independent organization or association representing the Rhode Island hospitality industry;

(vii) An economist with expertise in seafood marketing.

(b) Forthwith upon the passage of this chapter, the members of the collaborative shall meet at the call of the chairperson and organize. Thereafter, the collaborative shall meet at the call of the chairperson or three (3) members of the collaborative.

(c) All departments and agencies of the state shall furnish such advice and information, documentation, and otherwise to the collaborative and its agents as is deemed necessary or desirable by the collaborative to facilitate the purposes of this chapter.

(d) The members of the collaborative shall receive no compensation for their services.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-1-20 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-1 / Section 20-1-20
§ 20-1-20. Power to require reports.
Status: in_force

When deemed necessary to carry out the directors duties under this title, the director may require that reports detailing hunt, catch, effort, and other data be provided to the director by any person who hunts or fishes in this state or who lands his or her catch in this state. These individual reports and other data shall remain confidential and may only be disseminated to the public or persons outside the department in a statistical format.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-13-5 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-13 / Section 20-13-5
§ 20-13-5. Issuance of licenses.
Status: in_force

(a) Authorized licensing agents, shall, upon the application of any eligible person and the payment of the license fee, issue to that person a license to pursue, hunt, and kill game in the state during the open season with firearms or by bow and arrow with an archers permit; provided, however, that no license shall be granted to or possessed by:

(1) Any person under fifteen (15) years of age; provided, however, a junior hunting license may be obtained for persons age twelve (12) to fourteen (14) years of age upon the completion of a basic hunters safety course; and further provided, that they shall hunt only in the immediate company of a qualified, licensed adult twenty-one (21) years of age or over;

(2) Any person who has been convicted of a crime of violence, or who is a fugitive from justice, as defined in § 11-47-2 of the Firearms Act; or

(3) Any person who is under guardianship, treatment, or confinement by virtue of being a mental incompetent; or who has been adjudicated or is under treatment or confinement as a drug addict; or who has been adjudicated or is under treatment or confinement as a habitual drunkard.

(b) Any person affected by the provisions of subsection (a)(3), other than a person who has been pronounced criminally insane by a competent medical authority, after a lapse of a period of five (5) years from the date of being pronounced cured by a competent medical authority, may obtain a license upon the presentation of an affidavit issued by a competent medical authority to the effect that that person is a mentally stable person and a proper person to possess a hunting license. If that person has no other disqualifying record, he or she will be allowed to purchase and possess a hunting license.

(c) Every hunting license shall bear the name, age, occupation, place of residence, and an identifying description of the licensee; and shall expire on the last day of February next succeeding the date of issue; and may be revoked within the discretion of the director of environmental management. Every hunting license shall plainly and conspicuously indicate upon its face the year of issuance and shall be in the form prescribed by the director.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-2-38 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-2 / Section 20-2-38
§ 20-2-38. Disposition of waterfowl receipts.
Status: in_force

All waterfowl stamp receipts, and all receipts from the sale of stamp by-products, shall be deposited in a special waterfowl fund. All stamp and by-products receipts shall be expended through the appropriations process for waterfowl habitat, acquisition, improvement, and research projects.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-13-3 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-13 / Section 20-13-3
§ 20-13-3. Appeal of refusal of certificate.
Status: in_force

Any person who has been refused designation as having successfully completed the courses taken under the provisions of § 20-13-2 may appeal that refusal to the director of environmental management who shall make the final determination of the competency of the applicant.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-38-5 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-38 / Section 20-38-5
§ 20-38-5. Powers and duties.
Status: in_force

The collaborative shall support and work collaboratively with the Rhode Island fishing community to promote the marketing and sustainability of Rhode Island seafood, including but not limited to:

(1) Identifying regulatory restrictions preventing and/or inhibiting local seafood marketing initiatives and identifying opportunities to remove those regulatory restrictions;

(2) Identifying and facilitating opportunities to increase consumer demand for local seafood;

(3) Identifying and facilitating opportunities to establish agreements with local fishermen and seafood dealers for potential seafood marketplace expansion;

(4) Reviewing and identifying existing studies, pilot programs and initiatives of this state and other states regarding seafood-marketing practices;

(5) Providing educational opportunities for consumers and the fishing community regarding local seafood issues and initiatives;

(6) Identifying funding sources available to the fishing community to support seafood marketing;

(7) Responding to requests for information from the legislature and commenting on proposed legislation;

(8) Issuing recommendations necessary to achieve these goals;

(9) Identifying opportunities for potential funding to support Rhode Island seafood marketing efforts and initiatives.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-7-7 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-7 / Section 20-7-7
§ 20-7-7. Suspension and revocation of licenses.
Status: in_force

(a) If a person licensed under this chapter is convicted of any of the following offenses, his or her license shall be suspended for the following periods:

(1) Possession of ten (10) or more undersize lobsters, but not more than nineteen (19), in violation of § 20-7-10, one month;

(2) Possession of twenty (20) or more undersize lobsters, in violation of § 20-7-10, one year;

(3) Possession of mutilated lobsters or lobster meat, in violation of § 20-7-14, one year;

(4) Possession of one or more brushed female berried lobsters, in violation of § 20-7-10, one year;

(5) Possession of ten (10) or more egg-bearing female lobsters, in violation of § 20-7-10, one year;

(6) Unauthorized raising of anothers lobster pots, in violation of § 20-4-8, one year;

(7) Use or possession of a lobster pot from which the markings or branded numbers have been removed, altered, or obliterated, in violation of § 20-7-12, one year; and

(8) Failure to file reports of lobsters taken, as required by § 20-7-9, one year.

(b) Any person whose license is so suspended shall not engage in the lobster fishery of this state during the specified period of suspension. Any person who is convicted of engaging in the lobster fishery during the specified period of suspension shall be fined five thousand dollars ($5,000) or imprisoned for thirty (30) days, or both. The license of any person convicted a second time of any of the offenses set forth in subsection (a) shall be revoked for three (3) years and the person whose license is revoked shall not engage in the lobster fishery of this state in any way while the revocation is in force, under a penalty of sixty (60) days imprisonment or a fine of ten thousand dollars ($10,000), or both, for each offense.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-19-3 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-19 / Section 20-19-3
§ 20-19-3. Use of domestic game birds.
Status: in_force

Only domestic game birds may be utilized by persons conducting a field trial or operating a shooting preserve subject to the provisions of this chapter.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-5-22 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-5 / Section 20-5-22
§ 20-5-22. Severability.
Status: in_force

Each section of this chapter, and each part of each section, is hereby declared to be an independent section; and the holding of any section or sections in part or parts of sections to be void, ineffective, or unconstitutional for any cause, shall not be deemed to affect any other section or part thereof.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-2-8 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-2 / Section 20-2-8
§ 20-2-8. False statements and violations  Cancellation of license.
Status: in_force

Any person who willfully makes a false representation as to birthplace or requirements of identification or of other facts required in an application for license under this chapter, or is any way directly or indirectly a party to such a false representation, shall be punished by a fine of not more than fifty dollars ($50.00). A license obtained by any person through such a false representation shall be null and void, and the license shall be surrendered immediately to the director. No license shall be issued under this title to this person for a period of one year from the date of conviction.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-2-5 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-2 / Section 20-2-5
§ 20-2-5. Replacement of lost or destroyed certificate.
Status: in_force

(a) Whoever loses, or by a mistake or accident destroys, his or her certificate of a commercial marine fisheries license may, upon application to the department accompanied by an affidavit fully setting forth the circumstances of the loss, receive a duplicate certificate for the remainder of the year covered by the original certificate for a fee of ten dollars ($10.00) for each duplicate license.

(b) Whoever loses, or by mistake or accident destroys, his or her certificate of a noncommercial license may, upon application to the department accompanied by an affidavit fully setting forth the circumstances of loss, receive a duplicate certificate for the remainder of the year covered by the original certificate for a fee of two dollars ($2.00).
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-2-36 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-2 / Section 20-2-36
§ 20-2-36. Waterfowl stamp design, production, and distribution.
Status: in_force

The director of the department of environmental management shall be responsible for the design, production, procurement, distribution, and sale of all stamps and all marketable stamp by-products such as posters, artwork, calendars, and other items.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-6-6 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-6 / Section 20-6-6
§ 20-6-6. Registration of boat used in taking of molluscan shellfish.
Status: in_force

Each boat used in the commercial taking of oysters, soft-shell clams, surf clams, mussels, or quahaugs, other than by dredging, shall be registered with the director of environmental management. Upon registration, and the payment of a fee of two dollars ($2.00), the boat shall be issued a registration number to be displayed on the boat while engaged in shellfishing.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-14-1.1 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-14 / Section 20-14-1.1
§ 20-14-1.1. Bird depredation and control permits and orders.
Status: in_force

(a) A person may petition and be issued a depredation permit/order or control permit/order from the director, or his or her designee, in accordance with applicable federal law, for the taking of birds when found committing depredations upon agricultural crops, livestock, or wildlife, or when concentrated in such numbers and manner as to constitute a health or public safety hazard or other nuisance.

(b) Before any state depredation permits/orders or control permits/orders are issued, the director shall promulgate rules and regulations, in accordance with applicable federal law, establishing standards governing the issuance of the permits/orders and other measures necessary for the control of birds causing depredation or constituting a health or public safety hazard or other nuisance.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-15-4 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-15 / Section 20-15-4
§ 20-15-4. Equipment used by archers.
Status: in_force

(a) No person hunting, pursuing or taking deer by archery shall be equipped with equipment not authorized by regulations promulgated by the department and/or as authorized by subsection (b).

(b) Possession of archery aid devices for deer hunting with special permit. Any person who has a permanent physical impairment due to injury or disease, congenital or acquired, that renders them so severely disabled as to be unable to use a conventional bow and arrow device, and/or who is sixty-five (65) years of age or older, may legally hunt deer using adaptive equipment and aids. Said permits will be issued by the department only after the receipt of a physicians statement confirming the applicant is impaired as referred to above.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-5-3 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-5 / Section 20-5-3
§ 20-5-3. Application for permit.
Status: in_force

(a) Any person desiring a permit for a location for erecting a fish trap shall make application in writing to the department of environmental management in any form and giving any information that the department may require.

(b) Each application for a location for a fish trap shall fix definitely the position of the desired location, with reference to prominent points on shore, and shall also show the dimensions of the trap and of the leader to be set in the desired location, and any other details the department may require.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-37-2 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-37 / Section 20-37-2
§ 20-37-2. Definitions.
Status: in_force

As used in this chapter, unless the context otherwise requires:

(1) Animal and plant means any living or dead organism, or organisms, other than bacteria, or viruses or any part of such organism regardless of its age, condition, location, or proximity to other parts or tissues of the same or similar organisms;

(2) Director means the director of the Rhode Island department of environmental management;

(3) Endangered species means any animal or plant so declared by the United States Secretaries of the Interior or Commerce under the provisions of the federal Endangered Species Act of 1973, 16 U.S.C. § 1531 et seq., or any animal or plant so declared by the director of the Rhode Island department of environmental management pursuant to chapter 34 of title 42; and

(4) Person means any individual, firm, company, corporation, business, manufacturer, wholesaler, retailer, warehouse operator, transporter, importer, exporter, state or municipal agency, club, or any other group, organization, or individual.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-6-11 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-6 / Section 20-6-11
§ 20-6-11. Minimum size of shellfish  Penalty.
Status: in_force

(a) No person shall take and/or possess any quahogs less than one inch (1") shell thickness (hinge width). In addition, no person shall take and/or possess soft-shell clams, taken from the free and common soft-shell clam fisheries, of a diameter less than one and one half inches (1Â½") taking the maximum shell diameter, or any oysters, taken from the free and common oyster fisheries, measuring less than three inches (3") measured parallel to the long axis of the oyster, unless greater minimum sizes are established by the director, in consultation with the marine fisheries council. Any person who takes and/or possesses shellfish of less than the minimum size, as delineated above, upon conviction, shall be fined not less than ten dollars ($10.00) nor more than fifty dollars ($50.00) for each and every fifteen (15) shellfish taken. Additionally, any person who takes and/or possesses shellfish of less than the minimum size commingled and/or otherwise stored or contained with shellfish of not less than the minimum size, where the percentage of the less than minimum size shellfish is not less than ten percent (10%) of the total piece count of the commingled and/or otherwise stored or contained package, shipment, or container, shall be subject to seizure and/or forfeiture of the entire commingled and/or otherwise stored or contained package, shipment, or container, in accordance with the provisions of §§ 20-1-8(a)(5) and (a)(6) and 20-1-8.1.

(b) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (a) above, the director of the department of environmental management is authorized to promulgate regulations establishing a special exemption permit that would exempt department of health-licensed food processing facilities from the one-inch-minimum (1") size restriction governing bay quahogs. The exemption permit may only apply to frozen, packaged, cultured bay quahog products shipped into Rhode Island for redistribution outside of the state. The regulations shall prescribe the procedures to apply for the exemption permit and the standards to be employed by the director in his or her consideration of the application. The regulations shall prescribe rules governing the conduct and operation of the facility and may include restrictions on product forms, sizes, possession requirements, and other provisions in order to maintain the protection of the quahog resource and enforcement of the provisions of this chapter.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-7-1 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-7 / Section 20-7-1
§ 20-7-1. License required for taking of lobsters.
Status: in_force

No person, either as principal, agent, or servant, shall, at any time, catch or take any lobster from any of the waters in the jurisdiction of this state, or place, set, keep, maintain, supervise, lift, raise, or draw in or from any of those waters, or cause to be placed, set, kept, maintained, supervised, lifted, raised, or drawn in or from any of those waters, any pot or other contrivance, designed or adapted for the catching or taking of lobsters, unless licensed to do so.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-16-13 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-16 / Section 20-16-13
§ 20-16-13. Deprivation of trapping privileges on second conviction.
Status: in_force

Any person convicted a second time of a violation of any of the provisions of this chapter shall, in addition to the penalties elsewhere prescribed, be deprived of the privilege of trapping for furbearing animals within this state for three (3) years thereafter under a penalty of thirty (30) days imprisonment for each offense.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-5-5 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-5 / Section 20-5-5
§ 20-5-5. Restricted locations off Rhode Island and Sakonnet River.
Status: in_force

No permit shall be granted for the erection of a fish trap within that portion of the public waters of the state southerly of the island of Rhode Island, designated by the engineers office of the department of the army as available fishing areas, lying easterly of Brentons Reef and southerly of a line drawn from Coggeshalls Point to Sakonnet Light, except as follows:

Permits may be granted for the erection of traps:

(1) Southeasterly from Seal Rock, so-called, in a line on range of White Church in Saunderstown over Seal Rock to the offshore limits of the outer area designated by the engineers office of the department of the army; provided, that all traps on this line shall be of equal length including leaders and shall be so limited in length that permits for eight (8) traps may be granted;

(2) Southeasterly from Flat Rock, so-called, on the easterly side of Coggeshalls Point, in a line to the offshore limits of the inner or summer area designated by the engineers office of the department of the army;

(3) In a line from the westerly side of Prices Neck, so-called, southwesterly for a distance not exceeding one thousand five hundred feet (1,500²); provided, that not more than two (2) traps shall be permitted in this line;

(4) In a line from the easterly side of Prices Neck, so-called, southeasterly for a distance not exceeding three thousand three hundred feet (3,300²);

(5) Southeasterly from Coggeshalls Point in a line to the eastern limits of the outer area designated by the engineers office of the department of the army;

(6) Southerly from Cormorant Rock, so-called, in a line for a distance of not exceeding seven thousand feet (7,000²);

(7) For two (2) traps only on the line constituting the offshore limits of the outer area designated by the engineers office of the department of the army at a point five thousand feet (5,000²) east-southeasterly of the southeastern end of the line from Seal Rock described in subsection (1);

(8) For two (2) traps only beginning at a point ten thousand feet (10,000) east-southeasterly of the southeastern end of the line from Seal Rock described in subsection (1);

provided, that the traps and leaders described in subsections (7) and (8) shall extend parallel with the Seal Rock line. The provisions of § 20-5-4 shall not apply to permits for the erection of traps granted under this section with the exception of the provision in § 20-5-4 that no permits shall be granted for a greater length of trap and leader than two hundred eighty (280) fathoms, which provision shall apply to this section.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-2-17 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-2 / Section 20-2-17
§ 20-2-17. Combination fishing and hunting license.
Status: in_force

The director may grant to any eligible resident applying for a combination hunting and fishing license a license that shall entitle the licensee to the privileges of both hunting and fishing licenses, for a fee of thirty-eight dollars ($38.00); commencing July 1, 2025, forty-three dollars ($43.00); commencing July 1, 2028, forty-eight dollars ($48.00). The license shall expire on the last day of February of each year.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-10-3 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-10 / Section 20-10-3
§ 20-10-3. Authority to grant permits for aquaculture.
Status: in_force

The CRMC may grant permits for the conduct of aquaculture to any person, corporation, or business entity, chartered under the laws of this state, subject to the provisions of this chapter. Those permits for coastal waters shall be for a term not to exceed fifteen (15) years and shall be renewable upon application by the permittee for successive periods of ten (10) years for each renewable period; provided, that the terms and conditions of the permit, and of any previous renewal, and the rules and regulations promulgated by the CRMC pursuant to this chapter, have been met. Permits for land-based aquaculture projects shall be for a term to be designated by rules and regulations of the CRMC. All permits with their terms and stipulations presently in effect, as of May 15, 1980, under existing laws and regulations shall continue until their expiration.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-14-1 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-14 / Section 20-14-1
§ 20-14-1. Birds protected.
Status: in_force

(a) No person shall pursue, hunt with intent to kill, take, destroy, or have in his or her possession any wild bird or birds at any season of the year unless harvested or taken in accordance with rules and regulations promulgated by the director. Possession of any bird during the time when the taking of birds is prohibited shall be evidence that the bird was taken in violation of this section, and each bird possessed in violation of this section shall constitute a separate and distinct offense.

(b) This section shall not be construed to apply to any species of birds for which: (1) A federal depredation permit/order or a control permit/order has been issued in accordance with applicable federal law; or (2) A state depredation permit has been issued in accordance with § 20-14-1.1.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-15-8 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-15 / Section 20-15-8
§ 20-15-8. Report of killing or wounding.
Status: in_force

Any person who wounds or kills a deer shall make a written report stating the facts relative to the wounding or killing, signed by him or her, to be sent or submitted within twenty-four (24) hours to the department.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-13-14 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-13 / Section 20-13-14
§ 20-13-14. Sale of game prohibited.
Status: in_force

It shall be unlawful for any person to sell, or offer for sale, within this state, at any season of the year, any wild bird or mammal or any vertebrate, or parts thereof, except as provided elsewhere in this title; provided, however, that this section shall not be construed to prohibit the sale of inedible parts of game, such as antlers, hides, feet, or tails.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-6-4 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-6 / Section 20-6-4
§ 20-6-4. Registration of boats and display of numbers.
Status: in_force

No boat shall be used in the taking of quahaugs by dredge or the commercial taking of scallops unless that boat has been registered with the director of environmental management. Each registered boat shall be issued a certificate of registration and assigned a number, and this number shall be displayed on a flat surface in a conspicuous place upon the port side while the boat is engaged in taking quahaugs or scallops.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-16-1 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-16 / Section 20-16-1
§ 20-16-1. Furbearers protected.
Status: in_force

(a) No person shall hunt, pursue, shoot, or trap, or attempt so to do, the following furbearing mammals in this state, except in accordance with rules and regulations governing seasons, bag limits, and methods of taking adopted by the director pursuant to § 20-1-12.

(b) [Deleted by P.L. 2024, ch. 187, § 2 and P.L. 2024, ch. 188, § 2.]

(c) The department of environmental management shall promulgate, by rule, a list of furbearers for the purpose of this chapter.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-2-9 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-2 / Section 20-2-9
§ 20-2-9. Possession, inspection, and display of license.
Status: in_force

Every person holding a license issued under this chapter shall have that license in his or her possession at all times while engaged in the licensed activity and shall present the license for inspection on demand by any authorized person. In the case of freshwater fishing, the licensee shall wear in any manner plainly visible upon the licensees person while fishing, an identifying device as the director may prescribe, the device to be furnished by the director at a minimum cost to the licensee. Any person who shall refuse to present a license on demand shall be liable to the same punishment as if that person were hunting or fishing without a license.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-1-1 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-1 / Section 20-1-1
§ 20-1-1. Legislative findings.
Status: in_force

(a) The general assembly finds that the animal life inhabiting the lands of the state, its lakes, ponds, streams, and rivers, and the marine waters within its territorial jurisdiction, are a precious, renewable, natural resource of the state that, through application of enlightened management techniques, can be developed, preserved, and maintained for the beauty and mystery that wild animals bring to our environment.

(b) The general assembly further finds that the management of fish and wildlife through the establishment of hunting and fishing seasons; the setting of size, catch, possession, and bag limits; the regulation of the manner of hunting and fishing; and the establishment of conservation policies should be pursued utilizing modern scientific techniques, having regard for the fluctuations of species populations, the effect of management practices on fish and wildlife, and the conservation and perpetuation of all species of fish and wildlife.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-1-12 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-1 / Section 20-1-12
§ 20-1-12. Fixing of seasons and bag limits.
Status: in_force

(a) The director is authorized to adopt regulations fixing seasons, bag limits, size limits, possession limits, and methods of taking on any species of fish, game, bird, or other wild animal occurring within the state.

(1) These regulations may prohibit the taking, holding, or possession of any species; prohibit the taking, molestation, or disturbance in any way of nesting, breeding, or feeding sites of any species; and/or prohibit, control, or regulate any commercial use, importation into the state, or exportation from the state of any species.

(2) These regulations may be of statewide applicability or may be applicable in any specified locality, or localities, within the state when the director shall find, after investigation, that the regulations are appropriate.

(b) Any person who violates any provision of this section, or any rule or regulation made under the provisions of this section, shall be guilty of a civil violation and subject to a fine of one hundred dollars ($100) for each offense.

(c) Notwithstanding any inconsistent provision of law, the traffic tribunal shall have jurisdiction to hear and determine all violations specified in this section.

(d) The regulations shall be adopted only after the holding of a public hearing subject to the provisions of the Administrative Procedures Act, chapter 35 of title 42.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-7-10 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-7 / Section 20-7-10
§ 20-7-10. Minimum size of lobsters taken  Egg-bearing females.
Status: in_force

(a)(1) Unless otherwise specified by regulations, no person shall catch or take from any of the waters within the jurisdiction of this state, or have in their possession within this state, any lobster, or parts of lobsters, cooked or uncooked, that is less than three and three sixteenths inches (3316³) measured from the rear of the eye socket along a line parallel to the center line of the body shell to the rear end of the carapace.

(2) The minimum size of three and three sixteenths inches (3316³) shall be increased as follows:

(i) On January 1, 1988, 132³ from 3316³ to 3732³;

(ii) On January 1, 1989, 132³ from 3732³ to 314³;

(iii) On January 1, 1991, 132³ from 314³ to 3932³;

(iv) On January 1, 1992, 132³ from 3932³ to 3516³.

(b) No person shall have in their possession within this state any female lobster bearing eggs or from which the eggs have been brushed or removed.

(c) In addition to any penalties specified in other sections of this chapter, every person violating any of the provisions of this section shall be fined not less than fifty dollars ($50.00) nor more than five hundred dollars ($500) for each lobster in violation of this regulation or be imprisoned not exceeding thirty (30) days, or both. Any person licensed under this chapter catching and taking any lobster as described in subsection (a) or (b), and immediately returning the lobster alive to the water from which it was taken, shall not be subject to these fines or penalties. The possession of any lobster as described in subsection (a) or (b), cooked or uncooked, shall be prima facie evidence that the lobster was caught and taken in violation of this section. Any person convicted a second time of a violation of this section shall be fined five hundred dollars ($500) and be deprived of the privilege of fishing for lobsters within the state for three (3) years, after conviction, under a penalty of sixty (60) days imprisonment or a fine of five hundred dollars ($500), or both, for each offense.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-6-20 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-6 / Section 20-6-20
§ 20-6-20. Towing of dredge during closed season.
Status: in_force

Any person who tows a scallop dredge in the waters of the state during the season closed to the taking of scallops shall, upon conviction, be fined not less than twenty dollars ($20.00) nor more than one hundred dollars ($100) or imprisoned not exceeding thirty (30) days, or both, for each offense.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-6-10 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-6 / Section 20-6-10
§ 20-6-10. Allowance of shellfish taking under license.
Status: in_force

(a) Unless otherwise specified by regulation, a holder of a commercial shellfishing license may take and/or possess, in any one day, up to twelve (12) bushels of quahaugs, twelve (12) bushels of soft-shell clams, and three (3) bushels of oysters.

(b) A holder of a nonresident shellfishing license may take in any one day not more than one peck each of oysters, quahaugs, soft-shell clams, surf clams, or mussels. Any person taking more than these allowances in any one day shall be fined upon conviction one hundred dollars ($100) for each bushel or part of a bushel exceeding the prescribed quantity or be imprisoned not exceeding thirty (30) days, or both.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-4-12 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-4 / Section 20-4-12
§ 20-4-12. Striped bass  Use of nets and seines prohibited  Traps.
Status: in_force

Unless otherwise specified by regulation, no person, firm, or corporation shall take, or attempt to take, with or by the use of a net, seine, or any other contrivance of any kind or description except by hook and line, spear, or by fish traps authorized under authority of chapter 5 of this title, as amended, any striped bass from the public waters of this state northerly of a line commencing at upper pier in the town of Narragansett and extending in a straight line in a northeasterly direction to Beavertail Lighthouse and thence continuing in a northeasterly direction in a straight line to Castle Hill Lighthouse in the city of Newport; nor shall any person, firm, or corporation take, or attempt to take, with or by the use of a seine, any striped bass from the beach in the town of Charlestown for a distance of three (3) miles to the east of Charlestown Inlet; provided, however, that it shall not be a violation of this section for any person to take striped bass by means of the seine, net, or other contrivance while fishing for other fish for the catching of which the use of the seine, net, or other contrivance is permitted if the striped bass is immediately returned to the waters from which taken; provided further, however, at all fish traps, between September first and October fourteenth in any year, there is no obstruction, except the trap anchor warp of the leader within one hundred fifty feet (150²) from the mean high water mark on shore that will stop the free passage of striped bass. For the purpose of this chapter, a trap anchor warp is any cable, wire, line, or like material or device, and shall not exceed three inches (3³) in diameter.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-6-2 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-6 / Section 20-6-2
§ 20-6-2. Oysters  Open season.
Status: in_force

Unless otherwise specified in regulations, the open season for taking oysters from the free and common oyster fisheries in any of the waters of this state shall be between the fifteenth day of September and the fifteenth day of May. Any person taking any oysters or exposing any oysters for sale taken from the free and common fisheries in state waters in violation of the provisions of this section shall, upon conviction, be fined no less than fifty dollars ($50.00) nor more than five hundred dollars ($500) and costs for each offense.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-11-6 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-11 / Section 20-11-6
§ 20-11-6. Stocking of streams and ponds.
Status: in_force

No person shall stock any freshwater stream or pond within this state with any species of fish, or place or liberate any fish in any freshwater stream or pond within this state, without having first obtained a permit from the department of environmental management. No person shall place, operate, or superintend any device intended for the purpose of taking or catching fish in any private pond, brook, stream, or reserve, or any other place made, constructed, or used for the purpose of breeding or growing fish, without the consent of the proprietor or lessee.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-1-18 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-1 / Section 20-1-18
§ 20-1-18. Collectors permits.
Status: in_force

Notwithstanding any other restriction or prohibition set forth in this title or in §§ 11-47-20 and 11-47-51, the director is authorized to issue special permits for the taking, handling, and/or possession of any species of wild animal, of any size, age, and numbers as may be appropriate to persons for the purpose of study or management of wildlife populations, carrying out scientific experiments, and cultivation projects for which the director has responsibility. The director may require an applicant to provide any information that the director deems necessary to ascertain that there is scientific or ecological value in a bona fide experiment or project request. Failure to abide by the provisions of any permit, or failure to report any information required by the director, shall be cause for suspension or revocation of the permit.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-6-9 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-6 / Section 20-6-9
§ 20-6-9. Penalty for exceeding allowance without license.
Status: in_force

Every person taking in any one day more than one half (Â½) bushel each of oysters, bay quahaugs, soft-shell clams, sea clams, or mussels from the free and common fisheries of this state, without a license, shall be fined, upon conviction, not exceeding fifty dollars ($50.00) and costs for each one half (Â½) bushel or fraction thereof above the stated limits or be imprisoned not exceeding thirty (30) days, or both.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-1-29 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-1 / Section 20-1-29
§ 20-1-29. Trade in shark fins.
Status: in_force

(a) For the purpose of this section:

(1) Shark means any species of the subclass Elasmobranchii; it does not include smooth dogfish (smooth hounds), spiny dogfish, or species in the suborder Batoidea;

(2) Shark fin means the raw, dried, or otherwise processed detached fin or the raw, dried, or otherwise processed detached tail of a shark.

(b) Except as provided in this section, no person shall possess, sell, offer for sale, trade, or distribute a shark fin.

(c) A person who holds a license or permit to take or land sharks may separate a shark fin from a lawfully landed shark during the ordinary course of preparing the body of the shark for consumption, sale, trade, or distribution; provided, however, that a shark fin so separated from the shark shall be immediately destroyed unless used by the person for the purposes of taxidermy and subsequent display.

(d) The director of the department of environmental management may issue a permit for the possession of a shark fin to a person conducting noncommercial, scientific research.

(e) Any shark fin seized by the director of the department of environmental management, or the directors agents, through the enforcement of this section shall be destroyed.

(f) Any person who violates the provisions of this section shall be punished by a fine of not less than five hundred ($500) dollars, nor more than one thousand ($1,000) dollars, or by imprisonment for not more than ninety (90) days, or by both such fine and imprisonment; provided, however, that each shark fin possessed, sold, offered for sale, traded, or distributed in violation of this section shall constitute a separate offense. Provided further, a violation of this section by a person holding a commercial or recreational license or permit pursuant to this chapter shall result in the suspension or revocation of such license or permit.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-19-4 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-19 / Section 20-19-4
§ 20-19-4. Laws inapplicable to field trials and shooting preserves.
Status: in_force

The provisions of § 4-1-5 and chapter 13 of this title shall not be construed to apply to shooting preserves; to field trials upon liberated, domestic game birds; or to the possession, releasing, or shooting of liberated domestic game birds at field trials or upon shooting preserves licensed in accordance with the provisions of this chapter.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-6-23 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-6 / Section 20-6-23
§ 20-6-23. Penalty for taking shellfish at night.
Status: in_force

Notwithstanding the provisions of any general or public law to the contrary, any person who takes any oysters, clams, quahaugs, scallops, or mussels from any of the waters of this state during the hours between sundown and sunrise shall, upon conviction, be punished by a fine of not more than one thousand dollars ($1,000) or by imprisonment not exceeding three (3) years, or both; and any boat, dredges, rakes, or other equipment used in this violation shall be forfeited to the state.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-39-3 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-39 / Section 20-39-3
§ 20-39-3. Reciprocal recognition of license suspensions  Suspension of privileges for conviction in participating state  Penalty.
Status: in_force

(a) When the department of environmental management receives notice of the suspension of a persons hunting, trapping, or fishing privileges by a participating state, the department shall determine whether the violation leading to the suspension could have led to the forfeiture of privileges under Rhode Island law. If the department determines that the persons privileges could have been forfeited, the department may suspend the persons privileges to hunt, trap, or fish in this state for the same period as imposed by the participating state not to exceed the maximum limits allowed by Rhode Island law, provided the department has complied with the requirements of § 20-39-5.

(b) When the department receives notice of a conviction of a state resident from the licensing authority of the issuing state, the department may, if the conviction is final, treat the conviction as if it had occurred in Rhode Island and shall determine whether the conviction could have led to the forfeiture of the residents hunting, trapping, or fishing privileges under state law. If the department determines that the residents privileges could have been forfeited, the department may suspend the residents privileges to hunt, trap, or fish in this state for the same period as the issuing state, not to exceed the limit that could have been imposed under Rhode Island law, provided the department has complied with the requirements of § 20-39-5.

(c) Notice of the suspension must be sent to the person, who must surrender any current Rhode Island hunting, trapping, or fishing licenses to the department within ten (10) days.

(d) A person whose privileges have been suspended and who hunts, traps, or fishes in this state; who applies for or purchases any licenses or permits to hunt, trap, or fish in this state; or who refuses to surrender any current hunting, trapping, or fishing licenses as required is guilty of a misdemeanor.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-19-2 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-19 / Section 20-19-2
§ 20-19-2. Shooting preserves.
Status: in_force

No person shall operate a shooting preserve unless a license has been obtained from the director. Domestic game birds may be released and taken by shooting at shooting preserves. The following requirements must be followed in shooting preserves:

(1) The shooting area is a single body of land not less than one hundred twenty (120) acres in size, and is accurately described in the application;

(2) The licensee shall keep an accurate record of all domestic game held by him or her, how, when, and where acquired, how many released and when released, how many taken on the area, by whom, and when, and shall provide this information to the department when required;

(3) The licensee shall attach to each domestic game bird killed on the area a band furnished by the department for which the licensee shall pay the cost of purchase or manufacture;

(4) Domestic game birds taken on a shooting preserve may be possessed and transported in any number but only when bearing the prescribed band; and

(5) Every person hunting or taking domestic game birds on a shooting preserve has a valid Rhode Island hunting license or a special license permitting the taking of domestic game on shooting preserves only.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-13-17 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-13 / Section 20-13-17
§ 20-13-17. Injunctive relief  Damages.
Status: in_force

(a) The district court may enjoin conduct that would be in violation of § 20-13-16, upon petition by a person affected or who reasonably may be affected by this conduct, upon a showing that this conduct is threatened or that it has occurred on a particular premises in the past and that it is not unreasonable to expect that under similar circumstances it will be repeated.

(b) The district court may award damages to any person adversely affected by a violation of § 20-13-16, which may include an award for punitive damages. In addition to other items of special damage, the measure of damages may include expenditures of the affected person for license and permit fees, travel guides, special equipment and supplies, to the extent that those expenditures were rendered futile by the prevention of the taking of a wild animal.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-11-7 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-11 / Section 20-11-7
§ 20-11-7. License required for selling freshwater minnows.
Status: in_force

It shall be unlawful for any person to sell or barter, or engage in the business of taking or catching for the purpose of selling or bartering, freshwater live minnows for bait, or to possess more than one hundred (100) freshwater live minnows, without first procuring a license from the department of environmental management. For the purpose of this chapter, freshwater minnows shall be defined to include all minnows and the young of all species of freshwater fish except the game species, trout, northern pike, pickerel, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, shad, Atlantic salmon, and alewives.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-13-1 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-13 / Section 20-13-1
§ 20-13-1. License required  Hunting on own land.
Status: in_force

No person shall hunt, pursue, take, or kill any wild bird or mammal and any vertebrates in this state, or attempt so to do, without having first obtained a license; provided, that nothing in this chapter shall be construed as affecting the right of a bona fide resident of this state, or the residents immediate family, to hunt, without a license, on land owned by the resident, or land leased by the resident, and on which he or she is actually domiciled, and which land is used exclusively for agricultural purposes, and not for club shooting purposes, nor as affecting, in any way, the provisions of the laws relating to trespass, nor as authorizing the pursuit, taking, wounding, or killing, or the possession, of wild birds or mammals and any vertebrates contrary to any laws now in force or that may be enacted.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-9-2 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-9 / Section 20-9-2
§ 20-9-2. Disbursements for restoration projects.
Status: in_force

The state controller is authorized and directed to draw orders upon the general treasurer for the payment of any sums as may be required for the purposes of § 20-9-1, upon receipt by the controller of proper vouchers duly authenticated and approved by the chief of the division of fish and wildlife and by the director of environmental management.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-7-7.1 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-7 / Section 20-7-7.1
§ 20-7-7.1. Administrative suspension/revocation of licenses  Penalties  Appeal.
Status: in_force

(a) If a person licensed under this chapter is found, pursuant to § 42-17.1-2, to have violated any of the following offenses, his or her license shall be suspended for the following periods:

(1) Possession of ten (10) or more undersize lobsters, but not more than nineteen (19), in violation of § 20-7-10, one month;

(2) Possession of twenty (20) or more undersize lobsters, in violation of § 20-7-10, one year;

(3) Possession of mutilated lobsters or lobster meat, in violation of § 20-7-14, one year;

(4) Possession of one or more brushed female berried lobsters, in violation of § 20-7-10, one year;

(5) Possession of ten (10) or more egg-bearing female lobsters, in violation of § 20-7-10, one year;

(6) Unauthorized raising of anothers lobster pots, in violation of § 20-4-8, one year;

(7) Use or possession of a lobster pot from which the markings or branded numbers have been removed, altered, or obliterated, in violation of § 20-7-12, one year; and

(8) Failure to file reports of lobsters taken, as required by § 20-7-9, one year.

(b) Any person whose license is so suspended shall not engage in the lobster fishery in this state during the specified period of suspension. Any person who is found, pursuant to § 42-17.1-2, to have engaged in the lobster fishery during the specified period of suspension shall pay an administrative penalty of five thousand dollars ($5,000).

(c) The license of any person found, pursuant to § 42-17.1-2, to have violated any of the offenses set forth in subsection (a) a second time shall be revoked for three (3) years and the person whose license is revoked shall not engage in the lobster fishery of this state in any way while the revocation is in force, and in addition shall pay an administrative penalty of ten thousand dollars ($10,000) for each violation.

(d) In addition to any other sanctions provided by law, any person found, pursuant to § 42-17.1-2, to have violated any of the provisions of this chapter shall pay an administrative penalty of not less than fifty dollars ($50.00), nor more than five hundred dollars ($500), for each lobster taken or possessed in violation of the provisions of this chapter.

(e) Any person aggrieved by a final decision under this section may appeal the decision in accordance with the provisions of the Administrative Procedures Act, chapter 35 of title 42.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-12-4 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-12 / Section 20-12-4
§ 20-12-4. Fishways.
Status: in_force

For the purpose of providing for the passage of anadromous fish species to their traditional spawning grounds in freshwater, the department of environmental management is authorized and directed to construct fishways around or through existing dams in the rivers and streams of this state. The owners of those dams shall cooperate with the department of environmental management and shall not be liable for any damage as the result of the construction of the fishways.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-6-21 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-6 / Section 20-6-21
§ 20-6-21. Opening shellfish on water.
Status: in_force

No person shall possess the meats of more than six (6) shellfish while shellfishing on the waters of the state or throw the shells of open scallops onto the scallop beds.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-2-33 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-2 / Section 20-2-33
§ 20-2-33. Altering and counterfeiting a license.
Status: in_force

Every person who falsely makes, alters, forges, or counterfeits, or who causes to be made, altered, forged, or counterfeited, a license issued under this title, or purporting to be a license issued under this title, or who shall have in his or her possession such a false, altered, forged, or counterfeit license, is guilty of a misdemeanor and is subject to the penalties prescribed in § 20-1-16.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-39-5 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-39 / Section 20-39-5
§ 20-39-5. Hearing on suspension.
Status: in_force

(a) Prior to suspending the hunting, trapping, or fishing privileges of any person under §20-39-3 or §20-39-4, the department of environmental management shall immediately notify the person in writing. The person may, within twenty (20) days of the notice, request a hearing before the department on whether the requirements for suspension have been met.

(b) Upon request, the department shall set a hearing as early as practicable.

(c)(1) The requesting person may present evidence and arguments at the hearing contesting whether:

(i) A participating state suspended the persons privileges;

(ii) There was a final conviction in the participating state;

(iii) The person failed to comply with the terms of a citation issued for a wildlife violation in a participating state; or

(iv) A conviction in a participating state could have led to the forfeiture of privileges under Rhode Island law.

(2) Grounds other than those listed in subsection (a) may not be used to contest the departments decision to suspend the persons privileges.

(d) At the hearing, the department, through its authorized agent, may:

(1) Administer oaths;

(2) Issue subpoenas for the attendance of witnesses; and

(3) Admit all relevant evidence and documents, including notifications from participating states.

(e) Following the hearing, the department, through its authorized agent, may, based on the evidence, affirm, modify, or rescind the suspension of privileges.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-17-8 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-17 / Section 20-17-8
§ 20-17-8. Revocation of license.
Status: in_force

Any license or permit granted by the director, as provided in this chapter, may be by him or her revoked, for cause, at any time, and if any person to whom the license or permit has been issued shall be convicted of a violation of the conservation law in relation to fish and game, the director may not only revoke the license or permit of that person but thereafter no similar license or permit shall be issued to that person for a period of three (3) years.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-10-8 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-10 / Section 20-10-8
§ 20-10-8. Performance requirements  Bond.
Status: in_force

The CRMC may require the execution of a bond by the permittee to ensure the performance by the permittee of all of the conditions of his or her permit, and, in the event of a failure so to perform, to ensure the removal of aquaculture apparatus from the waters of the state.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-1-6 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-1 / Section 20-1-6
§ 20-1-6. Appointment and delegation of powers to conservation officers.
Status: in_force

The director shall appoint any number of conservation officers that he or she may deem necessary for the detection and prosecution of any violations of the laws of this state enumerated in § 20-1-8. The director may delegate any and all of his or her powers and duties to each of these conservation officers who shall serve at the directors pleasure.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-1-13 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-1 / Section 20-1-13
§ 20-1-13. Publication and effective date of seasons and bag limits.
Status: in_force

Notice of the directors intention to adopt regulations pursuant to § 20-1-12 and the holding of a public hearing on these regulations shall be published in at least one newspaper of general statewide circulation, not less than twenty (20) days prior to the date of the public hearing. These regulations shall remain in effect not longer than one year following the date of their effectiveness.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-1-14 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-1 / Section 20-1-14
§ 20-1-14. Control of fishing in Wallum Lake, Central Pond, and the James V. Turner Reservoir.
Status: in_force

The director may make suitable rules and regulations governing fishing in Wallum Lake in Burrillville and Central Pond and the James V. Turner Reservoir in East Providence, and for this purpose, may confer with the Division of Fisheries and Wildlife in the department of Natural Resources of the commonwealth of Massachusetts concerning the fishing privileges of residents of Massachusetts in those bodies of water.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-1-15 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-1 / Section 20-1-15
§ 20-1-15. Entry of private property.
Status: in_force

The director of environmental management, and each duly authorized employee of that department, may, in the discharge of duties under this title, enter upon and pass over private property without liability for trespass. If feasible, the employee shall give notice to the property owner.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-1-17 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-1 / Section 20-1-17
§ 20-1-17. Cooperation with other states.
Status: in_force

The director may cooperate with the fish and wildlife commissioners or other similar bodies or agencies of other states in carrying out the purpose of this title.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-5-9 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-5 / Section 20-5-9
§ 20-5-9. Expiration and renewal of permits.
Status: in_force

(a) All permits issued under this chapter shall be for a three-year period or for that portion thereof expiring on the last day of December of each third year thereafter.

(b) On termination of any permit, the department may renew the permit by issuing a new permit in place of the permit, provided application for renewal is made within ten (10) days before the termination in a manner similar to that required for application for a permit in § 20-5-3. Failure to apply for renewal shall operate to leave the location available for an application by any other person.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-5-18 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-5 / Section 20-5-18
§ 20-5-18. Willful injury to traps.
Status: in_force

Any person who willfully or maliciously cuts, removes, displaces, tampers with, or in any way damages any trap, leader, or pound set by virtue of the permit provided for by this chapter shall be imprisoned not exceeding two (2) years, or fined not exceeding one thousand dollars ($1,000), or both.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-7-15 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-7 / Section 20-7-15
§ 20-7-15. Taking of blue crabs.
Status: in_force

Unless otherwise specified by regulation, no person shall take, or attempt to take, any blue crabs from any of the waters in this state except by a scoop or crab net, trot, or hand line. Taking of blue crabs shall be restricted to residents of this state.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-16-11 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-16 / Section 20-16-11
§ 20-16-11. Disturbing traps of another.
Status: in_force

No person shall disturb, tend, or possess a trap of another, or take a furbearing animal from the traps of another, unless specifically authorized to do so by the owner.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-5-10 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-5 / Section 20-5-10
§ 20-5-10. Exclusive right of permittee  Assignment of permit.
Status: in_force

(a) The holder of any permit, or the holders heirs, executors, administrators, successors, or assigns shall have the exclusive right to fish the location by means of a fish trap, provided that the site is, and has been, actively fished.

(b) Any holder of a permit may, with the approval of the director of environmental management, transfer the permit to any suitable person. This approval shall be endorsed on the permit in order to become effective.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-13-10 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-13 / Section 20-13-10
§ 20-13-10. Carrying of weapon while under the influence of liquor or drugs.
Status: in_force

It is unlawful to hunt anywhere in this state, or to enter any of the fields or woods, or to enter upon any lands or water within or bordering this state, while possessing a firearm or other weapon for the purpose of hunting when intoxicated or under the influence of intoxicating or controlled substances.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-2-14 — RI Code / Title 20 / Chapter 20-2 / Section 20-2-14
§ 20-2-14. Licenses  Expiration.
Status: in_force

Unless otherwise specified in this title, all licenses issued under this title shall be annual and shall expire on December 31 of every year.