KINGSTON, R.I. — September 17, 2001 — The University of Rhode Island’s Coastal Institute will host a second series of public forums on fisheries management beginning on Sept. 25 at 7 p.m. Held in the Corless Auditorium on the URI Bay Campus, the meeting is free and open to the public. Additional open meetings will be held on October 24 and November 29.
“These meetings are a continuation of the process we began last spring that brought together a variety of parties to discuss commercial fishing licensing,” said Peter August, director of the Coastal Institute. “We collected a great deal of data and received tremendous input last spring. In phase two of the process, we will address many specific issues within each of the commercial fisheries in the state. Once again, members of the commercial fishing industry will be key players in the discussions.”
The meetings are being held under the direction of the Intergovernmental Working Group on Fisheries Management, a nine-member group consisting of officials from the Department of Environmental Management, the General Assembly, and the Governor’s Office.
Last spring the legislature passed the Rhode Island Marine Fisheries Management Modernization Act of 2001, which directs DEM to propose changes to the commercial fishing licensing procedures, revise procedures for managing commercial aquaculture operations, and establish a marine recreational fishing license system. All of these subjects will be discussed at the Coastal Institute forums.
In addition to the monthly meetings, six subcommittees will be established — lobster management, finfish management, shellfish management, aquaculture management, recreational licensing, and license restructuring/data collection and management – to guide development of proposals.
The September 25 meeting will introduce the process and establish the subcommittees. A final report will be issued to the Intergovernmental Working Group on Fisheries Management by January 1, 2002.
Established in 1998, the Coastal Institute works in partnership with local, state, federal, and international agencies to help solve the complex problems of human use and development in coastal environments.
For additional information about the meetings or the project, call the URI Coastal Institute at 874-6513 or visit www.ci.uri.edu/projects/rifish
For Information: Peter August 874-4794, Todd McLeish 874-7892