Flounder fishing shut down in Rhode Island for rest of year

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) - The federal government is shutting down fishing of a popular species of flatfish in Rhode Island for the rest of the year.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says boats fishing under a federal permit for summer flounder may no longer bring the fish to shore in Rhode Island. The shutdown went into effect early Tuesday morning and will last until the end of the year.

The agency says the state has also closed down commercial summer flounder fishing. It says the shutdown is taking place because Rhode Island fishermen have reached their annual quota.

Summer flounder are the source of an important fishery for several states, including North Carolina, Virginia, New Jersey and Massachusetts. Fishermen caught nearly 8 million pounds of them on the East Coast last year.