14-R357

2014 -- S 3116

Enacted 06/18/14

S E N A T E   R E S O L U T I O N

REAFFIRMING THAT RHODE ISLAND'S MARINE FISHERIES WARRANT THE STATE'S CONTINUED STRONG SUPPORT AND INVESTMENT

Introduced By: Senators Sosnowski, Algiere, and Goldin

Date Introduced: June 17, 2014

      WHEREAS, Rhode Island's marine fisheries are among the state's most valuable natural

assets, and serve as a vital part of our heritage, culture, and economy; and

WHEREAS, Rhode Island's marine fisheries help to sustain the people of Rhode Island,

as a source of food, recreation, employment, and income; and

     WHEREAS, The total value of sales from commercially landed species landed in Rhode

Island is approximately $200 million annually, and the total estimated employment associated

with the state's commercial fishing industry is approximately 5,000 jobs; and

     WHEREAS, Rhode Island exceeds all other states with regard to the value of commercial

landings of squid, butterfish, scup, and fluke, and is among the top five states with regard to the

value of landings of mackerel, monkfish, black sea bass, tilefish, and bluefish; and

     WHEREAS, Rhode Island offers some of the best saltwater recreational fishing

opportunities anywhere in the country, supporting a thriving recreational fishing community

involving hundreds of thousands of anglers; and

     WHEREAS, Expenditures by recreational saltwater fishermen in Rhode Island total

about $179 million annually, generating some $157 million in sales and $48 million in income,

while supporting nearly 1,300 jobs; and

     WHEREAS, The Port of Galilee is one of the largest commercial fishing ports on the

East Coast, and whereas the state, through the Department of Environmental Management

(DEM), has made significant capital improvements to the port, including a recent $6 million

project that will help to stabilize and grow the port for the benefit of the state's commercial

fishing industry; and

     WHEREAS, DEM and the Town of Narragansett, in partnership with the state's

recreational and commercial fishing communities, annually host a Galilee Fishing Tournament

and Seafood Festival to celebrate and promote Rhode Island's recreational and commercial

fishing industries, locally harvested seafood, and the port itself; and

     WHEREAS, Fishing piers, boat ramps, and other public access sites provide vital

opportunities for recreational fishermen; and

     WHEREAS, The state, through the DEM, has made significant improvements to the

fishing pier at Colt State Park, constructed two fishing platforms at Salty Brine Sate Beach,

acquired a major stretch of very fishable coastline at Rocky Point in Warwick, and just completed

a major renovation of the Galilee Boat Ramp; and

     WHEREAS, The DEM has partnered with the City of Providence on the Gano Park Boat

Launch and is partnering with the City of Pawtucket on the Festival Pier Boat Ramp; and

WHEREAS, DEM is partnering with the Coastal Resources Management Council, the

University of Rhode Island, Roger Williams University, and a host of stakeholders on the

development of a first-ever, comprehensive plan for shellfish management in Rhode Island; and

      WHEREAS, DEM and the University of Rhode Island have formally entered into a new

partnership – the Rhode Island Marine Fisheries Institute – to coordinate marine fisheries science,

research, and educational activities of priority importance in Rhode Island; and

     WHEREAS, Rhode Island is poised to boost the status of Rhode Island seafood in the

marketplace via a promotional campaign launched by the Rhode Island Seafood Marketing

Collaborative and involving a newly established Rhode Island Seafood brand, or logo, that will

serve to identify and promote seafood products from the Ocean State; and

     WHEREAS, DEM, as the lead state agency responsible for marine fisheries in Rhode

Island, undertakes a range of programs and activities focused on resource conservation and

industry support; and

     WHEREAS, DEM has formally adopted a set of Principles and Policies Governing

Marine Fisheries Management in Rhode Island, with key focal points being economic growth and

development, healthy resources, strong and stable fisheries, good science, effective management,

and industry support; and

     WHEREAS, DEM is committed to balancing and supporting the interests of: those who

harvest fishery resources for personal use and enjoyment as well as the businesses that support

such uses, those who rely upon the commercial fishing industry as a source of food, those

engaged in the commercial fishing industry, and those who wish to enter the commercial fishing

industry; and

     WHEREAS, DEM is committed to providing fair and equitable access and harvest

opportunities for Rhode Island’s recreational fishing community; and

     WHEREAS, DEM is committed to supporting the business interests of Rhode Island’s

commercial fishermen, and the economic interests of the Rhode Island commercial fishing

industry as a whole, by enhancing flexibility and opportunity, minimizing regulatory constraints,

and enabling participants to fish in an efficient, cost-effective, safe, economically viable, and

environmentally and ecologically sound manner; and

     WHEREAS, The many benefits and opportunities associated with Rhode Island's marine

fisheries are juxtaposed with a mounting series of challenges, generally involving the inherent

complexity of fisheries management, the dynamic nature of the marine ecosystem, climate

change, overlapping state and federal jurisdictional issues, allocation issues, and the diverse

interests of stakeholders; and

     WHEREAS, The broad array of benefits, opportunities, and challenges associated with

marine fisheries in Rhode Island engenders both a strong sense of pride and an equally strong

sense of responsibility; now, therefore be it

     RESOLVED, That this Senate of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations

hereby declares and reaffirms that Rhode Island's marine fisheries warrant the state's continued

strong support and investment with a view to maintaining healthy, productive, and sustainable

marine fishery resources, strengthening marine fisheries as a major economic engine for the state,

and preserving a way of life that is at our core; and be it further

     RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to

transmit a duly certified copy of this resolution to the Director of the Rhode Island Department of

Environmental Management.

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LC005951

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