Rhode Island Announces Striped Bass Limits for 2020
Because many of our customers are avid fishermen, we at Ocean House Marina wanted to pass on this important news.
After weeks of consideration of two different bag limit plans for the heavily fished striped bass species, Janet Coit, director of the state Department of Environmental Management (DEM) announced on March 12, 2020 that Rhode Island will maintain the same limits on striped bass as its neighboring states in New England.
In Rhode Island waters, fishermen–whether fishing from shore, on private boats, or on a charter fishing fleet vessel–will be permitted to keep one striped bass per day between 28 and 35 inches in length.
This new regulation matches those enacted by Maine, Massachusetts, and Connecticut in a region-wide attempt to support this heavily overfished species.
Rhode Island had been considering a different regulation that allowed private fishermen, either on shore or on boats, to keep one striped bass per day between 32 and 40 inches; and allow charter fishermen to keep one striped bass between 30 and 40 inches in length.
In announcing her decision, Director Coit said “It is in the best interest of the striped bass resource, and for the Rhode Island recreational fishing community as a whole, to enact the Addendum VI coastwide measure of a one fish bag limit, slot limit of 28′ to 35″, with a season open year round.”
We know that our customers want to support these efforts to rebuild the striped bass stocks in our waters so that future generations of fishermen can enjoy these great fighting and good eating fish, and will abide by these important bag limits.