ifteen Rhode Island fishermen are “actively using” their direct-sale license, according to Nichole Ares, principal biologist for the DEM’s marine fisheries division. The fishermen have sold about 13,000 pounds of fish for a total of about of $40,000.

Newport fisherman Jon Kourtesis’ days are even longer now thanks to a change in state regulations that allows him to sell fish directly to consumers.

But he’s OK with it, for the most part.

In the spring, when the state closed restaurants to stop the spread of the coronavirus, fishermen were hit hard. Prices dropped dramatically. In some cases, wholesalers stopped buying, and fishermen had no place to sell their catch.

To help the fishermen navigate the storm, the state temporarily changed some regulations to allow them to peddle their catches directly to consumers, fish markets and restaurants, instead of selling exclusively to wholesalers.

“I think it’s a great idea, and I’m glad they came up with it,” Kourtesis says.

It’s opened a new market for Kourtesis, but it comes with a catch. He says he’s working 15- to 16-hour days to make “a few hundred extra bucks.”

“It’s like three jobs for me,” he says.

Through an emergency regulation on April 17, the state created a direct-sale dealer license for Rhode Island fishermen. It authorizes commercial fishermen in Rhode Island to sell certain species of finfish, and to sell and transport for sale live lobsters and crabs, directly to consumers and licensed seafood retailers from the vessel on which they were harvested.

Rhode Island fishermen have been allowed to sell lobsters and crabs to consumers dockside for many years, but the new license enables them to make dockside sales to retailers and also transport live lobsters and crabs for sale to consumers and retailers.

Fifteen Rhode Island fishermen are “actively using” their direct-sale license, according to Nichole Ares, principal biologist for the DEM’s marine fisheries division. The fishermen have sold about 13,000 pounds of fish for a total of about of $40,000.

The most popular species with dockside consumers are scup, lobster, summer flounder (fluke), and black sea bass, according to Ares.

More than 160 fishermen applied for the licenses, but Kourtesis believes some of his fellow fishermen were frustrated by regulations and decided against pursuing the dockside sales. The dockside sales also require extra effort on the fishermen’s part to get the word out to potential customers, among other tasks. It’s like running a fish market.

Although the licenses are free, some stringent regulations guide the sales to ensure the safety of consumers and viability of the fishery. For example, fishermen who make the dockside sales are required to report the sales information to the state, something a wholesaler would normally handle in their transactions with fishermen.

Getting the fishermen to file that information was a particular problem when the program started and nearly sunk it, according to Jason McNamee, deputy director for natural resources at the DEM.

“It’s pretty rigorous reporting, and it’s important” for monitoring the health of the fishery, McNamee says. The reporting has since “really stabilized,” and McNamee is pleased with the way the program is going.

“It’s a really great program, and it was a long time coming,” McNamee says, noting that the DEM had considered allowing dockside sales even before the pandemic prompted the move. “We’re going to work really hard to keep it going.”

Dan Costa, the state’s port manager at the Port of Galilee in Narragansett, likes the “connectivity” the program creates between people who eat fish and the people who go out on the water and catch it.

“I think there’s a great benefit for the fishermen and the public,” he says.

He’s impressed with the way fishermen like James Leonard and his wife, Briana, have used tools like Facebook to get information out about their dockside sales.

Having worked as a first mate on another boat, James Leonard realized his dream of owning his own boat, F/V Briana James, this year. It’s really a family business. Briana gave up her daycare business to work full-time with her husband. She sells fish at the dock, markets sales via social media and has also worked as a deckhand. The Leonards are doing all this while raising two children, ages 10 months and 2½ years.

This is the pair’s first season with their own boat, and, when the coronavirus hit the industry, “we were freaking out,” Briana says. The direct-sale license was like a lifeline. “We are thrilled,” she says.

With the help of Conrad Johnson of Warwick, the Leonards set up a Facebook page to let customers know when they’ll be selling. They also notify people via an app, Fishline. Getting the word out is important. The windows for sale are tight since fishermen are allowed only to sell fish caught the same day. They must also sell the fish whole, or with just the heads cut off. The DEM worked closely with the Rhode Island Department of Health in developing the license and the rules are in place to make sure consumers are buying fresh fish, according to McNamee.

The Briana James’ Facebook shows prices and describes the types of fish that are available. They even have videos that demonstrate how to skin and fillet fish, since some customers are intimidated by the thought of having to fillet their own fish. “People were so afraid of the whole fish,” Briana says.

The Leonards try to sell dockside at Point Judith every Saturday and add a week day when possible. “We wish we could do it more,” Briana says. Sales can range from $300 to $1600.

Linda Rowland, of Avon, Connecticut, bought fish twice from the Briana James while she and her family vacationed in Narragansett around July 4th.

She said her kids, ages 5, 2 and 1, love going to the docks and seeing the fishing boats.

“It’s actually a fun thing to do on vacation. You can’t beat the quality and pricing,” she says. She also feels good about supporting a local fishing business.

For fishermen like James Leonard and John Kourtesis, the days begin well before dawn. Kourtesis typically leaves his house at 3:30 a.m. On this Friday, he planned to return to port in Newport by noon to sell dockside between noon and 3 p.m.

As with the Leonards, Kourtesis’s wife, Sherry, is also heavily involved in the business. Kourtesis says his wife is especially good at navigating regulations.

After a day on Narragansett Bay aboard the Christopher Andrew, Kourtesis might return to the dock with 2,000 pounds of fish. It can be difficult to sell all of that to consumers looking to buy dinner.

“People love it. It’s like a novelty to them,” Kourtesis says, but he added, “I need people who are willing to buy 50 to 100 pounds.”

So after he’s done selling dockside, he usually has to drive his remaining fish to a wholesaler. His days often don’t end until about 7 p.m.

Kourtesis would like the flexibility to drive to a place like Providence, East Providence or Cranston to sell to consumers there, but the state restricts the fishermen to dockside sales at their home port as part of their effort to ensure freshness.

As Rhode Island emerges from the coronavirus pandemic, restaurants are reopening, but Kourtesis is well aware that other parts of the country are seeing an increase in cases. A resurgence could hit here, too. He’s happy for the chance to sell his fish directly to consumers, extra work and all.

“If [the coronavirus] comes back, it might be the only way we to feed people and make a living,” he says.