Title 20, Title 20 and Wildlife

(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 uncooke…

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.

No person shall take, offer for sale, or possess at any time any female blue crab bearing eggs visible thereon, or from which the egg pouch or bunion has been removed. Unless otherwise specified by regulation, no person shall take, buy, sell, give away, expose for sale, or posses…

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.

No operator of a Rhode Island-registered boat engaged in trawling for finfish in Rhode Island territorial waters may retain and sell any lobsters taken, unless that operator has a commercial lobster license.

A holder of a noncommercial lobster license may set, place, or maintain in the water at any one time not more than five (5) lobster pots or traps. A noncommercial lobster licensee shall not offer for sale or sell lobsters.

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 lo…

Any person having charge of a vessel carrying lobsters who lands in the state of Rhode Island and who is not licensed under any of the provisions of this chapter shall be required to have a seller’s license. Any person violating the provisions of this section shall be fined not l…

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 li…

(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…

(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), …

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 …

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 …

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, Sou…

The controller of the state of Rhode Island is authorized and empowered from time to time to examine the accounts and books of the commission, including its receipts and disbursements, and any other items referring to its financial standing as the controller may deem proper, and …

The general assembly shall annually appropriate any sum it may deem necessary to carry out the provisions of this chapter; and the controller is authorized and directed to draw orders upon the general treasurer for the payment of that sum, or so much of that sum as may be require…

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 e…

The state of Rhode Island hereby enters into an amendment of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Compact, § 20-8-1, with any one or more of the states of Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, South Car…

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 enviro…

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 unt…

The director of environmental management, as ex officio commissioner, may delegate, from time to time, to any deputy or other subordinate in his or her department or office, the power to be present and participate, including voting as his or her representative or substitute, at a…

Any commissioner may be removed from office by the governor upon charges and after a hearing.

There is hereby granted to the commission and the commissioners all the powers provided for in the compact, § 20-8-1, and all the powers necessary or incidental to the carrying out of the compact in every particular. All officers of the state of Rhode Island are hereby authorized…

Any powers granted in this chapter to the commission shall be regarded as in aid of, and supplemental to, and in no case a limitation upon, any of the powers vested in the commission by other laws of the state of Rhode Island or by the laws of the states of Maine, New Hampshire, …

The commission shall keep accurate accounts of all receipts and disbursements and shall report to the governor and the legislature of the state of Rhode Island on or before the tenth day of December in each year, setting forth in detail the transactions conducted by it during the…

The state of Rhode Island assents to the provisions of the act of Congress entitled “An Act to Provide that the United States Shall Aid the States in Wildlife Restoration Projects, and for Other Purposes”, 16 U.S.C. § 669 et seq., and the director of environmental management is a…

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…

The state of Rhode Island assents to the provisions of the act of Congress, entitled “An Act to Provide that the United States Shall Aid the States in Fish Restoration and Management Projects, and for Other Purposes”, 16 U.S.C. § 777 et seq., and the division of fish and wildlife…

The general assembly shall annually appropriate any sum as it may deem necessary to carry out the provisions of § 20-9-3, and the state controller is authorized and directed to draw orders upon the general treasurer for the payment of that sum, or so much as may be required from …

Nothing in §§ 20-9-1 — 20-9-4, shall be construed to divest the department of environmental management of any power or authority vested in the department.

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…

There shall be a biosecurity board within the coastal resources management council (hereinafter referred to as “CRMC”) that shall meet, at minimum, on a quarterly basis and shall be composed of seven (7) members to be designated by the executive director of the CRMC, or his or he…

It shall be the duty of the biosecurity board to assist and advise the council in carrying out the provisions of this chapter. In performing this duty, the biosecurity board shall cooperate with appropriate state and federal agencies, including, but not limited to, the department…

Any permit granted pursuant to this chapter shall be void if assigned, in whole or in part, unless that assignment is made with the prior approval of the CRMC.

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.

(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 ca…

Any plant or animal species, as stipulated in an aquaculture permit, that are being cultivated within the designated, permitted area, are the personal property of the permittee.

(a) Aquaculture activities conducted in a manner consistent with permit and license conditions and in accordance with the rules and regulations promulgated pursuant to this chapter, and aquaculture products harvested for sale as a result of those activities, shall be exempt from …

Notwithstanding the provisions of this chapter, or any other provision of law, if the director finds, or has cause to believe, that an aquaculture activity is causing, or is likely to cause, an immediate danger to marine life or the environment of the coastal waters of the state,…

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.

(a) Any person who conducts aquaculture activities in excess of those authorized by an aquaculture permit shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and subject to imprisonment not exceeding one year or a fine not exceeding one thousand dollars ($1,000), or both. In addition to that fine a…

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 C…

(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 t…

If any provision of this chapter, or any rule, regulation, or determination made under this chapter, or the application of this chapter to any person, agency, or circumstance, is held invalid by a court of competent jurisdiction, the remainder of this chapter, or the rule, regula…

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 o…

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 s…