DEM Announces New License Authorizing RI Commercial Fishermen to Engage in Direct Sales of Certain Seafood Products
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Division has filed an emergency regulation that establishes a new Direct Sale Dealer License. The new dealer license is available to RI residents holding a valid commercial fishing license or resident landing permit that allows for the harvest and landing of finfish and/or crustaceans in RI.
The license authorizes the direct sale of certain species of finfish directly to consumers and licensed seafood retailers from the vessel on which they were harvested. The license also authorizes the sale, and transport for sale, of live lobsters and crabs directly to consumers and licensed seafood retailers from the vessel on which they were harvested.
Dockside sales of lobsters/crabs directly to consumers, conducted pursuant to an existing dockside sales endorsement, may continue as permitted by the endorsement, and are not affected by this new dealer license. Holders of an existing dockside sales endorsement who wish to sell live lobsters/crabs directly to licensed seafood retailers, and/or wish to engage in the delivery and sale of live lobsters/crabs, and/or wish to sell finfish dockside, must obtain the new Direct Sale Dealer License.
The new Direct Sale Dealer License includes a number of provisions governing harvest, handling, reporting, and direct-sale activities undertaken pursuant to the license, all of which must be strictly adhered to. Prospective applicants are strongly encouraged to read thoroughly the Protocols and Guidance for Direct Sales of Marine Species in Rhode Island – attached with this notice and which will be posted on the DEM Marine Fisheries website next week — to determine if they can meet all requirements associated with the new license.
To apply for the license please submit this application: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdDtBHLIdgY2WdGJoGGwHqFa86MD_ROM4jUpwrrU32se5PAJA/viewform [docs.google.com]
The regulations can be found on the RI Secretary of State’s website here: https://rules.sos.ri.gov/regulations/part/250-90-00-15
For questions pertaining to the new license, contact Robert Ballou at Robert.Ballou@dem.ri.gov
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Direct-Sales-Guidance-and-Protocols_Final_April-24.pdf