“They can possess whatever [amount of menhaden] out in federal waters, but once they come into our state waters, they’re subject to our requirements,” said Steven H. Hall, chief of the DEM’s Division of Law Enforcement.

This daily cap will be adjusted as necessary. It is in place now to protect the menhaden that migrated into Narragansett Bay waters through June, the DEM reports.

Hall said today he can't recall a time in the past when DEM has issued emergency regulations regarding menhaden.

An estimated 8 million pounds of menhaden migrated into the waters this season, and slightly more than 2 million pounds have already been landed by commercial fishing operations, according to the DEM. Because DEM scientists estimate that 4 million pounds of menhaden are necessary to maintain Bay health and an excellent feed base for other fish like striped bass, that leaves fewer than 2 million pounds available now to commercial fishermen.

Read a related column by Journal outdoors writer Tom Meade on how big bass have been feeding on menhaden in the upper Bay this summer, attracting fishermen.

And H. Bruce Franklin writes an op-ed piece for The Journal on menhaden -- "the most important fish in the sea" -- and the struggle over them.