Title 20, Title 20 and Wildlife

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…

(a)(1) Fur trapper — Resident: fifteen dollars ($15.00); commencing July 1, 2025, twenty dollars ($20.00); commencing July 1, 2028, twenty-five dollars ($25.00). (2) Fur trapper — Nonresident: fifty dollars ($50.00); commencing July 1, 2025, seventy-five dollars ($75.00); commenc…

(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 ser…

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 fi…

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…

As used in §§ 20-2-34 — 20-2-38: (1) “Migratory waterfowl” means all waterfowl species in the family anatidae, including wild ducks, geese, brant, and swans. (2) “Stamp” means the state migratory waterfowl hunting stamp furnished by the division of fish and wildlife as provided f…

No person sixteen (16) years of age or older shall take, or attempt to take, any migratory waterfowl without first obtaining a regular hunting license and a Rhode Island migratory waterfowl stamp for the current year. Each stamp shall be validated by the signature of the licensee…

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.

(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…

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…

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 purp…

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 salmoni…

Out of the fees paid under the provisions of this chapter for issuance of hunting, other than deer permits pursuant to § 20-2-18, fishing, combination, and nonresident shellfishing licenses, the sum of one dollar ($1.00) shall be retained by the authorized agent issuing each lice…

The director is authorized and directed to engage the contractual services of a state-approved vendor to develop and implement a web-based system that will serve as a means for obtaining licenses pursuant to this chapter. The vendor’s responsibilities shall include, but not be li…

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 s…

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 ite…

Stamps shall be sold at the direction of the director for a fee of five dollars and fifty cents ($5.50). Commencing July 1, 2025, the fee for a stamp shall be six dollars ($6.00). Commencing July 1, 2028, the fee for a stamp shall be six dollars and fifty cents ($6.50). The issui…

All trout conservation stamp receipts, and all receipts from the sale of stamp by-products, shall be deposited in a special trout conservation fund. All stamp and stamp by-products receipts shall be expended through the appropriations process for operations, trout habitat includi…

In addition to any appropriation made pursuant to § 20-2-28.2, the general assembly shall appropriate from the general fund to the division of marine fisheries the amount it deems necessary for the purpose of maintaining a shellfish transplant program for the fiscal year ending J…

(a) Findings of fact. The general assembly hereby finds and declares the following: (1) Oyster fishery has historically been important to Rhode Island for economic and ecosystem benefits; (2) The Rhode Island oyster fishery has been in deep decline and is a fraction of its histor…

(a) Any person may take the aquatic invasive species commonly known as green crabs, more specifically known as the species carcinis maenas. (b) Rhode Island residents may be granted a commercial green crab license for a fee of ten dollars ($10.00) per season. (c) The director is …

(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 …

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 propagati…

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 enf…

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 …

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 li…

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…

(a) The marine fisheries council shall serve in an advisory capacity only to the state and agencies of the state regarding marine fisheries issues and shall have the power and duty to advise the director of the department of environmental management in the exercise of the directo…

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…

The marine fisheries council may establish any advisory committees or panels that it may deem appropriate to fulfill its responsibilities.

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…

No person, firm, or corporation shall take, possess, sell, possess for sale, or offer for sale any striped bass measuring less than sixteen inches (16") in length, whether caught within the jurisdictional limits of this state or otherwise; provided, however, that this chapter sha…

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…

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, b…

(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 allowa…

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 Narragans…

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 a…

Any person who operates an otter, beam, or pair trawl or other mechanical trawling device without a license as provided in § 20-4-3, shall, upon conviction, be fined five hundred dollars ($500) for each offense, or may be imprisoned not exceeding thirty (30) days, or both. In add…

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 deal…

The owner of every trap, pot, or other stationary contrivance used for the taking of marine fish, shellfish, crustaceans, or other invertebrates being fished in the waters of this state, and the owner of any trap or pot for catching, or cars or other contrivances for keeping lobs…

No person except the director, enforcement officers, and authorized technical personnel of the department shall unduly disturb, lift, raise, molest, or remove any animal from a trap, pot, or any other device of a person licensed under this title without the written permission of …

Unless otherwise specified in regulations, no person shall take in any manner whatsoever from the territorial waters of this state, including the waters of the Atlantic Ocean, or have in their possession, any striped bass measuring less than sixteen inches (16″) in length. Stripe…

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 contriv…

(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 a…

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 wheth…

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…