State Sen. V. Susan Sosnowski, a South Kingstown Democrat, chairs the newly created Special Senate Task Force on Fisheries. The task force met once in December and will resume regular sessions in January. Sosnowski is a self-employed farmer who in the 1990s helped to create the state’s network of farmers’ markets and she believes that a similar initiative is needed to promote local consumption of Rhode Island seafood. She was a member for three years of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission.
She recently spoke with Providence Business News about the local fishing industry, including her belief that the state needs to adopt a plan to protect and develop its fisheries.
PBN: Why was the task force formed and what are its goals?
SOSNOWSKI: [The task force was created] to track the status and trends in the fishing industry in Rhode Island.
[The task force will allow] all of us [in the legislature] to understand the legal and regulatory mandates that are imposed on the fishing industry because there are a lot of federal regulations, as well as state, and it’s quite a complex regulatory scheme.
[The task force also will] provide a forum for individuals and organizations in the fishing community to present their ideas and identify the challenges that they’re facing. [Another major goal] is to propose legislation and regulatory recommendations.
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PBN: Is fishing governed by state or federal regulations, or is it a combination of both?
SOSNOWSKI: Both. You have the R.I. Department of Environmental Management [whose director] has the authority to enforce regulations that are handed down by the federal government. The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission promulgates regulations, as well as other regional councils.
SOSNOWSKI: Yes. Basically, the Magnuson-Stevenson Act set up those councils to give them specific regulatory authority, and that’s where the quotas come from. Each species of fish has a specific management plan and its own regulations and its own enforcement, whether it’s scup or flounder or whatever. In Rhode Island, we have the R.I. Marine Fisheries Council, which is made up of industry representatives. … But it is advisory to DEM. The director of DEM, he or she has the ultimate authority [on enforcing regulations].
PBN: How important is the fishing industry to the state’s economy?
SOSNOWSKI: I think it’s very important. I mean, obviously, they’ve had some dips with the economy over the years. … Believe it or not, it is difficult to say, even though the data is supposed to be collected, it is difficult to say exactly where we are today, [or know] the exact numbers. … There is a project going on at the [nonprofit] Commercial Fisheries Research Foundation. They are working on a project that will establish a profile of the commercial fishing industry in Rhode Island. … The Senate has assigned a staff person to participate in this project.
PBN: What do you see as the major problem facing commercial fishermen in Rhode Island?
SOSNOWSKI: One is concern for a potential loss of the working waterfront property, and some of that has already happened. And if the industry rebounds, which I think is highly possible, there may actually be a lack of physical space for both the vessels and shore-side businesses to locate in Rhode Island.
PBN: What can you and the task force do to encourage consumption of local seafood?
SOSNOWSKI: I’ll be meeting with DEM, the R.I. Department of Health, the R.I. Economic Development Corporation and fishermen as part of this task force process to identify those barriers for bringing fresh, locally harvested seafood to Rhode Island consumers and working to facilitate a marketing campaign to raise the awareness of consumers about the benefits of buying local seafood.
PBN: What about the offshore wind projects? Are they going to be a threat to the state’s fishing industries?
SOSNOWSKI: We did hear from a number of fishermen [through] the task force that they’re concerned about this. But the fishing industry has participated extensively in the development of the Ocean Special Area Management Plan that’s been recently adopted by the R.I. Coastal Resources Management Council.
Fishermen do have a great deal of confidence in that plan because it represents difficult negotiations that were part of … a binding, regulatory document that will protect fish resources as well as the critical habitats. … I will continue to strongly support the development of wind energy … but I’ve made a commitment to the fishermen that I would do everything in my power to ensure that the policies and approaches that were adopted in the Ocean SAMP are adhered to and respected. •
