Please be advised that the requirement that commercial whelk pots be tagged with new tags beginning April 1, 2023 (see Part 4 – Shellfish, ยง 4.18) is being suspended until June 1, 2023. The deployment of commercial whelk pots in state waters is still only authorized for properly licensed persons (i.e., Multipurpose License or Standard License with Unlimited Shellfish endorsement), with a maximum of 300 pots deployed, however pots need not be tagged until June 1, 2023. This is due to the unforeseen delays with the issuance of commercial fishing licenses this year. License holders are urged to submit order forms as soon as possible; please be reminded that order processing may take up to ten (10) weeks.
Please direct questions to Peter Duhamel @ peter.duhamel@dem.ri.gov or 423-1927. We apologize for any inconvenience.
Thank you.
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