R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-11-6: Stocking of streams and ponds.

No person shall stock any freshwater stream or pond within this state with any species of fish, or place or liberate any fish in any freshwater stream or pond within this state, without having first obtained a permit from the department of environmental management. No person shall place, operate, or superintend any device intended for the purpose of taking or catching fish in any private pond, brook, stream, or reserve, or any other place made, constructed, or used for the purpose of breeding or growing fish, without the consent of the proprietor or lessee.