[Flounder]

Rhode Island Anglers better speak with one (loud) voice if this is to be stopped.

NY faced the same threat 10 years or so back.
George Scocca was central in stopping it cold.

Nobody objects to a reasonable registration fee, provided the funds go back into the fishery. But if it's just another tax, and a steep one at that, it will make outlaws out of the residents, and cause the non-residents to vacation elsewhere. Ultimately, it is the tackle shops that suffer, from loss of their customer base.

There's a lot to be said about "tradition".

Flounder