DEM ANNOUNCES WESTERN GREENWICH BAY SHELLFISH MANAGEMENT AREA TO RE-OPEN FEBRUARY 1 ON CERTAIN DAYS AND HOURS

PROVIDENCE - The Department of Environmental Management announces that, weather permitting, the Western Greenwich Bay Shellfish Management Area will re-open to shellfishing during certain hours on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays beginning on February 1.

Under new DEM regulations, the area will open at 8 a.m. on each of the days that shellfishing is permitted. However, closing hours will change as the season progresses. For the first six Mondays/Wednesdays/Fridays that the area is open, the area will close at 10 a.m.; for the second six Mondays/Wednesdays/Fridays that the area is open, the area will close at 11 a.m. Thereafter, the area will remain open until noon on all consecutive Mondays/Wednesdays/Fridays until the end of April.

The new program was introduced by the RI Shellfishmen's Association to help control the flow of product to market when that area of Greenwich Bay first opens every year, thereby contributing to price stabilization, and to help maintain compliance of daily possession limits. It was broadly embraced at a January 3 public hearing, and endorsed unanimously by the Rhode Island Marine Fisheries Council, leading DEM Director W. Michael Sullivan to adopt the recommendation, in, as he describes, "a spirit of collaborative management."

"I appreciate the continuing interest of all involved to consider new management approaches," Sullivan adds, "and I endorse the proposal in that regard."

Because the openings may be altered by water quality closures, DEM will make every effort to ensure that industry is notified on a day-to-day basis as to when they can fish in Greenwich Bay and for how long. This will be accomplished by adding relevant information to the 24-hour recorded message on the shellfishing information line, 222-2900, by the expected February 1 Western Greenwich Bay Management Area opening date.

The new regulations can be found within the commercial fishing regulations on DEM's website, www.dem.ri.gov, by clicking on "Regulations", then "Fish and Wildlife".