Section 250-RICR-90-00-3.9 - Summer Flounder3.9.1RecreationalA. Minimum size: Nineteen inches (19").B. Season: April 1 through December 31.C. Possession limit: Six (6) fish per person per day.D. Special shore angling sites: 1. Special shore angling site locations: India Point Park, Providence; Conimicut Park, Warwick; Rocky Point, Warwick; Stone Bridge, Tiverton; East and West Walls (Harbor of Refuge); Narragansett; Fort Wetherill, Jamestown; and Fort Adams, Newport.2. Minimum size: Seventeen inches (17"). This applies to only two (2) fish of the allowed total possession limit. The minimum size of two (2) of the six (6) fish may be seventeen inches (17"). The minimum size for the remaining four (4) fish shall be nineteen inches (19").3. Season: April 1 through December 31.4. Possession limit: Six (6) fish per person per day.3.9.2CommercialA. Minimum size: Fourteen inches (14").B. Season, allocation, and possession limit:1. January 1 through April 30:a. Allocation: Fifty-four percent (54%) of the annual quota.b. Vessels that possess a valid Rhode Island Summer Flounder Exemption Certificate: One hundred (100) pounds per vessel per day.c. Vessels that do not possess a valid Summer Flounder Exemption Certificate: One hundred (100) pounds per vessel per day.2. May 1 through September 15: a. Allocation: Thirty-five percent (35%) of the annual quota.b. Possession limit:(1) Vessels that possess a valid Summer Flounder Exemption Certificate: Two hundred (200) pounds per person and per vessel per day.(2) Vessels that do not possess a valid Summer Flounder Exemption Certificate: Two hundred (200) pounds per person and per vessel per day.3. September 16 through December 31: a. Allocation: Eleven percent (11%) of the annual quota.b. Possession limit: (1) Vessels that possess a valid Summer Flounder Exemption Certificate: Five hundred (500) pounds per person and per vessel per day.(2) Vessels that do not possess a valid Summer Flounder Exemption Certificate: Two hundred (200) pounds per person and per vessel per day.C. Minimum mesh size - otter trawl:1. Owners or operators of otter trawl vessels possessing one hundred (100) pounds or more of summer flounder per day from May 1 through October 31; or two hundred (200) pounds or more of summer flounder per trip from November 1 through April 30, must fish with nets or combinations of nets that have a minimum mesh size of five and one half inches (5 1/2") diamond, or six inches (6") square mesh applied throughout the body, extension(s) and cod end portion of the net.2. Vessels possessing trawl devices while harvesting summer flounder in excess of the possession limits specified herein may have nets onboard the vessel that have a mesh size less than the minimum size specified in the Regulations provided that the net is stowed and is not available for immediate use.D. Summer flounder may be landed between the hours of 6:00 A.M. to 8:00 P.M. only.E. Control date: A control date of December 31, 2010, is established for the commercial summer flounder fishery in Rhode Island. This control date has been established by the Department for potential future use in establishing eligibility criteria for future access to the fishery.250 R.I. Code R. 250-RICR-90-00-3.9
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