R.I. Gen. Laws § 20-7-9: Report of lobsters taken.

For the purpose of determining whether the number of lobsters caught in the waters of this state are increasing or decreasing during any period, every person licensed pursuant to § 20-2-24 to catch, take, and/or sell lobsters in Rhode Island shall, upon request of the department of environmental management, report catch and effort statistics upon forms furnished by the department. The returns from any person shall not be made public; shall be kept only in the files of the department; and shall be used only for statistical purposes.