The General Assembly has approved three bills to assist the fishing trade and turned it into law in a ceremony held at Salty Brine State Beach in Galilee, the center of the Ocean State’s fishing industry. The bills are designed to give a marketing boost to local fishermen and small businesses; to discourage poaching of striped bass; and to clarify licensing requirements for commercial rod-and-reel fishing boats.
Gov. Lincoln D. Chafee said that the bills signed to support local fishermen and small businesses and to encourage Rhode Islanders to use locally produced and harvested seafood. Sosnowski, chairwoman of the Special Senate Task Force on Fisheries, said that it is amazing to learn that most fish caught in Rhode Island is shipped out of state and is not sold in local markets or restaurants.
He added that the Seafood Marketing Collaborative will research ways to change that. It will support and work closely with the Rhode Island fishing community to promote the marketing of local seafood. He also informed that the bills will work to eliminate any barriers that currently prevent the seafood industry from thriving locally.
