NARRAGANSETT, R.I. — Early in the COVID-19 pandemic as restaurants closed, the state of Rhode Island gave fishermen a lifeline by allowing them to get a temporary license to sell certain seafood straight from their docked boats to consumers and retailers.
Now the change is permanent, thanks to a law the General Assembly passed this week.
What’s more, say the bill’s sponsors, State Sen. V. Susan Sosnowski (D-Dist. 37, New Shoreham, South Kingstown) and Rep. Kathleen A. Fogarty (D-Dist. 35, South Kingstown), commercial fishermen could also benefit from later changes, such as having the ability to fillet finfish on site.
“People want to buy Rhode Island-caught seafood, they want to do it,” Sosnowski said.
While dockside sales of live lobsters and crabs to consumers have been allowed for many years, and remain authorized under the existing dockside sales endorsement, the new direct sale dealer license extends this opportunity to include dockside sales to retail establishments, as well as the transport and sale of live lobster, crab and whelk to consumers and retailers.
“It was a great idea, and I definitely have friends who took advantage of the dockside sales,” local fishermen Eric Feroldi said.
A commercial lobsterman from North Kingstown, Feroldi has been able to sell a fresh catch directly on the dock for the six years he’s operated his boat, the Ella & Evan out of Point Judith.
“I sell 90% of my catch right off the dock,” he said.
Most of the other sellers taking advantage of the new law are rod and reel fishermen, Feroldi added.
“When you think about it, those are the little guys, the mom and pop type of people who own a small boat, go out a couple of days a week when the weather’s nice,” he said.
A weekend fisherman, Feroldi sells most of his catch by 3 or 3:30 the same day it’s caught. A good weekend for him would be to haul about 500 lobsters.
“There’s a very high demand right now for seafood,” he said. Lobster that cost $10 last year now goes for $12. “The wholesale price is up.”
Finfish species allowed by direct sale include any legally harvested species except striped bass, and except all “histamine-producing” finfish species, which are listed in the regulation.
“Those species of fish require being filleted,” Feroldi said. “The way the law is now, the fish have to be sold whole or round, which basically means untouched.”
For eligible species of finfish, the license authorizes their dockside sale directly to consumers and licensed retail establishments, such as seafood markets and restaurants.
Examples of eligible finfish species include summer flounder, black sea bass, scup, tautog, monkfish, hake, haddock, cod, winter flounder, weakfish, dogfish, skate and butterfish.
Last year as COVID started to spread, Sosnowski worked closely with former DEM director Janet Coit and members of the shellfishing industry to find alternatives to the supply chain. The DEM issued provisions temporarily allowing fishermen to sell their catch dockside to consumers and retailers.
“A lot of our fishing fleet sells to restaurants and they were closed,” Sosnowski said. “So we crafted this emergency regulation. I know it was successful for taking a lot of fish that would have otherwise been discarded to the inner city, where a lot of families and soup kitchens were able to use it,” Sosnowski said.
As the state emerged from COVID, Sosnowski heard from fishermen that the change should be made permanent, and that filleting the fish should be allowed. She hopes to work on a provision to allow filleting for the next legislative session, she said.
“I want to open this up as much as we can,” she added. “This is a big first step and we want to hear from folks in the industry and work on it.”
Fogarty was joined by local Reps. Teresa A. Tanzi (D-Dist. 34, Narragansett, South Kingstown) and Carol Hagan McEntee (D-Dist. 33, Narragansett, South Kingstown) to introduce the bill in the House of Representatives.
“Commercial fisheries are an important part of the coastal economy of Rhode Island,” Fogarty said. “This bill is a lifeline to that industry while preserving safety and public health by ensuring that all seafood be stored and handled in a safe and sanitary manner pursuant to department regulations.”
The new license is available to resident commercial fishermen in Rhode Island licensed to harvest finfish and/or crustaceans.
Several requirements govern harvest, handling, reporting and sale activities. Among them:
Direct sales of finfish are applicable only to whole fish, fish that are headed/gutted, or live fish.
Direct sales are applicable only to fish that have been caught/harvested the same day.
While on board the vessel, all fish must be kept shaded, cooled, and/or on ice.
Transporting is limited to lobsters, crabs, and whelk harvested from individual vessels and sold and transported by the individual harvester or crew members.
Lobsters and crabs must be kept shaded and cooled and must be alive at point of sale.
Strict reporting requirements must be met: Harvester reports must be completed in full and be available for inspection prior to any species being sold. In addition, all sales must be reported to DEM.
For consumers, information about the dockside sales is available at the Facebook group OSCS Dockside Sales Forum, operated by Ocean State Community Seafood. Buyers can sign up to receive an e-mail newsletter with up-to-date information.
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July 09, 2021 at 07:00PM
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