The available data was evaluated to assess the impact of the Rhode Island Sound dredge spoil disposal area on the floating trap fishery. It is unlikely that a significant portion of the observed decline in landings has resulted from a decrease in fishing effort since no significant correlation was established between these variables. The mean levels of landings were not significantly different when comparisons were made between the period before the onset of dumping and the short post-dumping period. A review of other fisheries for scup (Stenotomus chrysops), the predominant species caught by Rhode Island floating traps, indicated that landings have declined throughout the species' range.