A change in state law this year is giving Rhode Island and its large saltwater-fishing community a dedicated voice in local and regional management of the valuable industry.
The law, signed by Gov. Gina M. Raimondo in July, elevates what was previously a subsection in the R.I. Division of Fish and Wildlife to its own entity called the R.I. Division of Marine Fisheries.
The new division, which still operates under the umbrella of the R.I. Department of Environmental Management, gives state officials greater independence to focus solely on the issues and needs of the state’s marine, or saltwater, fishing industry.
Jason E. McNamee, chief of marine-resource management, is heading the division and lobbied for its new designation.
“Marine fisheries in Rhode Island [have] become pretty important with a robust recreation community and a big commercial fleet, one of the biggest in the country,” he said.
McNamee said the needs of the marine-fisheries community are also fundamentally different than other aspects of fish and wildlife, especially because of the commercial side of business.
The change makes sense to the fishing community, which also advocated for it. Rhode Island, after all, is only about 48 miles in length and 37 miles in width, but has nearly 400 miles of shoreline.
“It makes a lot of sense for them to create a separate marine division where the staff can concentrate on marine-fisheries issues,” said Stephen Medeiros, president of the Rhode Island Saltwater Anglers Association.
Rhode Island in recent years has also realized a surge in recreational marine fishing, which further complicates the needs of the community.
"Recreational fishing is humungous right now and worth $332 million to the state."
STEPHEN MEDEIROS, Rhode Island Saltwater Anglers Association president
“The marine fisheries have become very technical and evolved compared to 20 years ago,” Medeiros said. “Economically, recreational fishing is humungous right now and worth $332 million to the state.”
The association counts about 1,500 direct members, but Medeiros said it represents a total of 7,500 people across 28 affiliated clubs from throughout the region.
Beyond local needs, however, the division also brings Rhode Island in step with how other marine-fisheries divisions are established throughout the region.
The states participate in various regional and national councils and commissions. McNamee, who represents the state’s interests, says not being directly in charge in the past has eroded Rhode Island’s negotiating power.
“It’s important for people sitting around the table to know that they’re talking to the person in charge with the marine fisheries,” he said. “It becomes convoluted if you exist under fish and wildlife – under DEM.”
The negotiations he speaks of play a significant role in the economic well-being of the local fishing community.
Each state is only allowed to fish a certain amount of each species each year, representing a quota that’s calculated and allocated at a regional level based on scientific modeling of species populations.
McNamee gets a hand in determining and negotiating quotas, which determine how much Ocean State fishermen can catch.
As head of the new division, McNamee said, he has greater leverage, which improves his negotiating power.
From a staffing position, too, state employees no longer have to split time working on other fish and wildlife activities. This comes as a welcomed sign to the fishermen.
At the same time, the new division isn’t costing taxpayers any additional money to set up, which was a key part of the lobby to lawmakers.
DEM backed the legislation, but it was officially sponsored in the House by Rep. Arthur Handy, D-Cranston. He saw the change as an opportunity to improve a part of state government that already exists, without having to reinvent the wheel or spend a lot of money.
The division will stay in its existing offices in Jamestown, which is already separated from the rest of fish and wildlife. And while McNamee would like to see his staffing grow at a natural pace in years to come, there’s no imminent demand stemming from its new designation.
Handy, who chairs the House Committee on Environment and Natural Resources, also liked the idea of Rhode Island coming in step with other states.
“We were actually one of the only states along the Atlantic that didn’t have this separate division between fresh and marine fisheries,” he said. “It makes it a little easier to have an equal seat at the table, and it was something that was strongly supported by the fishing community.”
Eli Sherman is a PBN staff writer. Email him at Sherman@PBN.com, or follow him on Twitter @Eli_Sherman.
