NOAA cuts bad for fishing and much more

Capt. Brandon Hagopian (right) of B-Hagz Bait and Adventures charters, said, “Squid and monster fluke will soon be here. Last year at the beginning of May we went summer flounder fishing after dropping off a night squid charter and caught seven double digit fluke.”

NOAA cuts bad for fishing and much more

Staff, budget and research reductions outlined for NOAA in a Trump Administration NOAA ‘Passback memo’ on their budget would be devastating.  Devastating for US agriculture, shipping, fishing, weather safety and the security of our nation as critical military missions could not run effectively without good weather reports.

The Whithouse plan outlined in the ‘Passback memo’ to NOAA on its budget from the Office of Management and Budget will gut NOAA and smother climate research. The memo to NOAA eliminates the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research as a line item and slashes NOAA Fisheries budget, for a copy of the memo visit NOAA Passback | DocumentCloud.

Already important weather satellite maintenance is not being done and fishery stock assessments are being curtailed due to budget reductions.

Our economy in Rhode Island relies on NOAA to drive a billion dollar a year fishing and seafood industry. 

Reductions outline by the administration will directly impact fishing by reducing funds spent on stock assessments which drive sustainable fishery management plans for important commercial and recreational species.  A lack of information on how stocks are doing will increase overfishing and add to fishing plan uncertainty which will likely reduce allowable catch limits across the board, particularly for recreational fishing as extraction rates are estimates.

NOAA’s ability to provide fisheries research and analysis to support conservation and sustainable resources will be reduced, ocean exploration (a lot of it conducted by URI’s Graduate School of Oceanography) and specie research will be gone, storm surge warnings in real time will be gone, enhancements and conservation efforts in Narragansett Bay and its estuaries will be gone as well as important partnerships and funding of collaborative efforts as we know them from such organizations as RI Sea Grant will be gone with this new administration’s plan

As a nation and state we need to let our US senators and representatives know how much we do not want these cuts and/or the gutting of NOAA.  Send your congress person an email or call them and let them know they need to take action, you can find the names of US House members at https://www.house.gov/representatives  , contact information for US Senators at  https://www.senate.gov/states/statesmap.htm.  It is important to have friends and relatives in other states do the same, particularly those with controlling party Republican senators and congress persons.

Environmental DNA Research

Environmental DNA—eDNA—is loose genetic material shed by organisms in the environment. This can include mucus, feces, and tissue particles. It can be collected from seawater, extracted, and compared to sequences in reference libraries to identify species or marine communities that were present where the water sample was collected.

NOAA is using a similar approach to reveal predator and prey relationships by analyzing DNA found in the feces or stomach contents of marine animals. This innovative technology is a game-changer.  For information on how NOAA is using DNA to improve ecosystem and habitat research and stock assessments visit Northeast eDNA Research | NOAA Fisheries.

New way to measure striped bass in Massachusetts

Beginning in 2025, the method of measuring a striped bass for compliance with recreational and commercial size limits in Massachusetts has been modified. Fishers must now pinch the tail together when measuring a striped bass to confirm it is of legal harvestable size. All size limits for striped bass are in total length. Total length is to be measured as the greatest straight-line length (not over the curve of the body) in inches from the anterior most tip of the jaw or snout, with the fish’s mouth closed, to the farthest extremity of the tail, with the tail squeezed together.

 

Where’s the bite?

Striped bass fishing for holdover striped bass (fish that did not migrate south) continues to be very good with anglers catching keeper striped bass 28” to < 31”.  East End Eddie Doherty, Cape Cod Canal fishing expert and author said, “The water temperature, in the 40s, is still too cold for the first good arrival of striped bass, but anyone following the northern migration knows that the first school is getting closer. In the meantime, check out your fishing gear to be sure that everything is in good shape. There are very few Canal surfcasters wetting a line this early in the season, but plenty of service road walkers are out and about. Actually, there are more guys holding dog leashes right now than surf rods!”  Capt. Brandon Hagopian of B-Hagz Baits and Adventures charters (bhagzbaits@gmail.com), said, “I am catching new striped at the herring runs on big swimbaits and rubber shads in Narragansett Bay.”  Herring run rivers or waterways include Apponaug Cove, Warwick; Narrow River, Narragansett; and the Barrington and Warren Rivers to name a few.

Tautog fishing is getting better every day and should until the season closes for spawning on May 31.  “The tautog bite is just getting better.  I have been catching fish in the mid to upper Narragansett Bay for about a week.  They are in shallows with a sandy bottom around structure to warm up.  They’re hitting Asian crabs and clam bellies best,” said Capt. Brandon Hagopian of B-Hagz Baits and Adventures charters.  “The smaller the bait the better this time of year.  The end of the incoming tide and beginning of outgoing  tide has been the magic tide.”

Freshwater trout fishing is still a good bet with trout stocking recently occurring in RI and MA waterways.  For complete regulations, a list of stocked ponds, and a copy of the RI Freshwater Fishing Regulations and Guide visit Fish & Wildlife | Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management and in Massachusetts visit Freshwater Fishing | Mass.gov.