June 29, 2018 — A joint action on a black sea bass transit zone between Block Island and the Rhode Island mainland is being considered by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (MAFMC) and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC).
Under current regulations, when scup and black sea bass fisheries are closed in federal waters but open in state waters, vessels may not transit federal waters with scup or black sea bass caught in state waters. This has been problematic in Block Island Sound from Sep. 22 to Oct. 21 when black sea bass is closed in federal waters.
State waters in Rhode Island, Connecticut, and New York are open to black sea bass fishing during that time. Anglers fishing in state waters around Block Island must pass through federal waters to return to the mainland. If they retain any black sea bass, they are in violation of the federal regulations while they pass through federal waters, even if those fish were legally caught in state waters.
Federal waters regulations for summer flounder are waived under conservation equivalency and the scup season has been open year-round since 2012 so this has not been a problem with these species.
Also, commercial vessels with state-only permits face potential obstacles when transiting between Rhode Island state waters around Block Island and state waters along the mainland.