Source: https://rules.sos.ri.gov/regulations/part/250-60-00-10/11041
Timestamp: 2020-07-13 20:40:03
Document Index: 209364626

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 20', '§ 10', '§ 10', 'art 100', '§ 20', '§ 20']

250-RICR-60-00-10 INACTIVE RULE EMERGENCY RULE
These Rules and Regulations are promulgated pursuant to R.I. Gen. Laws §§ 20-1-12 and 20-1-13, as well as R.I. Gen. Laws Chapters 42-17.1 and 42-17.6, in accordance with R.I. Gen. Laws Chapter 42-35, Administrative Procedures Act.
10.6.1	Freshwater Fisheries Regulations
1.	The open season on all species of trout, salmon, and charr shall close annually on the last day of February at midnight and shall commence at 6:00 AM on April 6 annually. From April 6 through November 30th annually, the daily creel and possession limits for trout shall be five (5) fish; and from December 1st through the last day in February, annually, the daily creel and possession limits for trout shall be two (2) fish. All designated trout waters (§ 10.6.1(A)(15) of this Part) shall be closed to all fishing from the last day of February at midnight and shall commence at 6:00 AM on April 6 annually, unless otherwise designated. Possession of trout, salmon, or charr taken from any waters of the state during the closure shall be prohibited.
8.	The following waters shall be restricted to fishing by children fourteen (14) years of age and younger: Frosty Hollow Pond, Exeter; Geneva Pond & Brook, North Providence; Lapham Pond, Burrillville; Scott Evans Memorial Pond (Biscuit City), South Kingstown; Seidel’s Pond, Cranston; Silvy’s Pond, Cumberland; Lloyd Kenney Pond, Hopkinton from April 6 through Memorial Day only; and Cass Pond, Woonsocket. For the first two (2) days of the season, Slater Park Pond, Pawtucket and Ponderosa Park Pond, Little Compton are restricted to children only.
11.	At Beach Pond, Exeter, the season for trout shall open on April 6 at 6:00 AM and close at midnight on the last day of February, annually. The daily creel and possession limits for trout (all species in aggregate) shall be five (5) fish. The daily creel and possession limits for black bass shall be five (5) fish and the minimum size limit shall be twelve (12) inches (measured from the tip of the snout to the end of the tail). The daily creel and possession limits for chain pickerel shall be five (5) fish and the minimum size limit shall be fourteen (14) inches (measured from the tip of the snout to the end of the tail). Six (6) lines with a single hook each may be used while ice fishing.
12.	Wallum Lake, Burrillville – Rhode Island Regulations, §§ 10.1 through 10.6, 10.6.1(A)(1) through (5), 10.6.1(A)(9) through (10), 10.6.1(A)(16) through (17) of this Part, apply.
Mowry, A.K. Pond
Scott Evans Memorial Pond (Biscuit City)
South Kingstown (Kingston)
16.	Permits are required for organized fishing tournaments for state fishing and boating access areas and for the following private access areas; Johnson’s Pond (Flat River Reservoir), Coventry, and Waterman Reservoir, Glocester. Permits are required for six (6) or more persons and/or three (3) or more boats. Applications for the issuance of a permit must be submitted to the Division a minimum of three (3) weeks prior to the tournament. An organization may cancel a permitted fishing activity without penalty as long as written notice of the cancellation is received by the Division at least three (3) weeks prior to the event. Failure to provide timely written notice shall result in a one (1) year revocation of an organization’s eligibility to receive a permit for any organized fishing activity. Exceptions for unforeseen occurrences (e.g. weather, natural disaster) will apply at the discretion of the Division. The decision of revocation shall rest entirely with the Division. Permit applications may be obtained by contacting RIDEM Division of Fish and Wildlife, 277 Great Neck Rd., West Kingston, RI 02892. Tel: (401) 789-7481. Applicants must complete all required information. The Division reserves the right to limit the number of activities per location, per day, time period, or deny a permit for reasons of overuse or conflict with other activities.
a.	The applicant must indicate on the application whether the fishing activity is a "closed" or an "open" activity. A closed fishing activity is an event having a fixed or restricted number of participants. An open fishing activity is an event having an unrestricted number of participants.
(1)	If the tournament is closed, the number of boats, vehicles, and participants must be entered on the application. The permit must be retained on site by the sponsor along with the list of participants and boat registration numbers.
(2)	If the tournament is open, the names of all participants and registration numbers of each boat on the day of the tournament must be made accessible to RIDEM – Division of Law Enforcement. An estimated count of all participants, vehicles and boats shall be forwarded to the Division at least five (5) days prior to the start of the tournament.
(3)	Regardless if a fishing tournament is "closed" or “open”, the organization must provide a report to the Division within five (5) days of the termination of the tournament which includes: the number of hours fished, the numbers of boats, numbers of participants, and as applicable, the total number of largemouth bass and smallmouth bass caught as well as the total weights or the total lengths of all largemouth bass and all smallmouth bass processed at the weigh-in. This report may be sent as a letter to RIDEM Division of Fish and Wildlife or by completing the Bass Tournament Count Form. Failure to complete and submit the required information within five (5) days shall render the organization ineligible to conduct further organized fishing events for one year from the said event. Such revocation shall include any events for which a permit was previously issued.
d.	Permits, along with lists of participants and boat registrations, if applicable, shall be available during the tournament for law enforcement purposes and must be clearly displayed in the windshield of the contacts vehicle.
18. Prohibited is the transport of any plant or plant part into or out of any Rhode Island waterbody on boats, vessels, other water conveyances, vehicles, trailers, fishing supplies, or any other equipment, with the exception of authorized research activities, species identification and other management activities.
19.	Fisherman utilizing State Management Areas and designated undeveloped State Parks are required to wear fluorescent orange as referenced in the Park and Management Area Rules and Regulations, (Part 100-00-1 of this Title).
20.	For the 2020 fishing season, fishermen will be required to abide by the following fishing schedule from the day the trout fishing season opens until further notice:
a.	Fishermen with a last name (surname) that begins with the letters A through M will only be allowed to fish on even numbered calendar days.
b.	Fishermen with a last name (surname) that begins with the letters N through Z will only be allowed to fish on odd numbered calendar days.
2.	For the purposes of regulating Diadromous fishes, all fish ladders owned and operated by the state will be set aside as fish cultivation facilities pursuant to R.I. Gen. Laws §§ 20-12-1 and 20-12-5.
F.	Boundaries – The defined boundaries for the freshwater and saltwater sections of the state’s river and streams, with regard to the areas where Freshwater Regulations apply, are as follows:
9.	Wesquage Pond, Narragansett – the culvert at the outlet to Bonnet Shores Beach.
10.	Annaquatucket River, N. Kingstown – the point at which the river empties into Bissel Cove.
12.	Potowomut River, N. Kingstown/E. Greenwich-the Forge Road spillway.
13.	Maskerchugg River, E. Greenwich-the Boston Post Road (US Rt. 1) spillway.
32.	Pachet Brook, Tiverton –the downstream side of the West Main Road (RI Rt. 77) bridge.
10.7 Enforcement
Enforcement of this Part, including penalties and appeals, is pursuant to R.I. Gen. Laws §§ 20-1-12, 20-11-20, and 20-11-21, and Chapters 42-17.6, 42-17.7, and any other applicable section of the general laws.
10.8 Effective Date
The foregoing Rules and Regulations – RI Fish and Wildlife Freshwater and Diadromous Fisheries Regulations, after due notice, are hereby adopted and filed with the Secretary of State to become effective twenty (20) days thereafter, unless otherwise indicated below, in accordance with the provisions of R.I. Gen. Laws Chapters 42-35, 42-17.1, and 42-17.6, as amended.
Effective 04/06/2020 to 05/03/2020
The purpose of this proposed emergency rule is to establish the opening date (April 6, 2020) of the freshwater fishing season and the season creel and bag limits for the Freshwater season for the year.
Rules were promulgated on July 31, 2019 governing the seasons, creel and minimum size limits for the 2020-2021 recreational freshwater fishery program. The rules are subject to formal annual review and public comment. A full public process occurred, and no substantial modifications were made to the rules at that time. The traditional opening day of freshwater fishing season, the second Saturday of April, was adopted with little or no discussion.
The purpose of the justification is the protection of public health from imminent peril. Traditionally, the opening day of freshwater fishing season generates high public participation and crowded conditions in many public fishing areas. Given the unanticipated occurrence of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines for “social distancing” to minimize transmission of the virus, DEM seeks to eliminate/reduce to the greatest extent possible the crowded conditions of opening day for the 2020 freshwater fishing season by timing the opening of fishing season to April 6, 2020, an earlier, weekday opportunity. This change is designed to support a more gradual opening to the freshwater fishing season, lessening the crowding that poses a risk to public health from COVID-19. Additionally, in an effort to abide by social distancing guidelines and to mitigate crowds, individuals will only be allowed to fish on certain days based on the first letter of their last name. This should cut the fishing population down by 50% on any given day of the week. This measure is also aimed at lessening the crowding that poses a risk to public health from COVID-19.
INACTIVE RULE Amendment - effective from 08/02/2020
INACTIVE RULE EMERGENCY RULE Amendment - effective from 04/06/2020 to 05/03/2020
ACTIVE RULE Amendment - effective from 02/17/2020 to 08/02/2020
INACTIVE RULE Amendment - effective from 07/31/2019 to 02/17/2020