2014 -- S 3116

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LC005951

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2014

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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

     Referred To: Placed on the Senate Consent Calendar

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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involving hundreds of thousands of anglers; and

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     WHEREAS, Expenditures by recreational saltwater fishermen in Rhode Island total

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

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while supporting nearly 1,300 jobs; and

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

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

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

 

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

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fishing industry; and

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

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

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

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

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

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opportunities for recreational fishermen; and

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

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

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

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a major renovation of the Galilee Boat Ramp; and

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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industry support; and

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

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

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

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and industry support; and

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

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

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

 

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

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industry; and

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

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opportunities for Rhode Island’s recreational fishing community; and

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

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

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

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

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environmentally and ecologically sound manner; and

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

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

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

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

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interests of stakeholders; and

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

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

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sense of responsibility; now, therefore be it

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Environmental Management.

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