Please be advised that amendments to the RI Marine Fisheries regulations, Part 5 – Lobster, Crabs, and Other Crustaceans, were filed via Direct Final Rule (DFR), with an effective date February 14, 2020. The purpose of this DFR was to correct an inadvertent omission when this rule was filed as a result of a public hearing that took place on November 14, 2016. At that time, the final rule filed should have incorporated amended language that shifted responsibility for returning crabs to the waters from which they were taken after completion of a bio-medical procedure from the harvester to the dealer. This DFR filing corrects that inadvertent omission (see section 5.10(H)).
For all rules and rulemaking documents associated with the regulatory filings, please go to the Secretary of State’s Code of RI Regulations website (go to “Title 250” for Dept. of Environmental Management; “Chapter 90” for Division of Marine Fisheries; and then open the “subchapter” tab to view the regulation of interest. For rules not yet effective, the new rule and rulemaking documents can be viewed under the yellow “View Details” tab.
Thank you.
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