Bluefin tuna regulations change for the better

Capt. Dave Monti with bluefin tuna.  As of July 1, 2025 private vessels with an HMS Angling permit will be allowed to take one fish between 27” to < 73”.

Big catch: Greg Vespe of Tiverton with a striped bass he caught Saturday night fishing with
live eels off Newport in the Bay.

Good eating:  Marc Carvalho with a squeteague he caught off Warwick Light, he and Sherri Kanelos planned to bake and eat their catch whole.

Bluefin tuna regulations change for the better         

Bluefin tuna regulations changed for the better this week when NOAA announced Thursday new angling and charter/headboat Highly Migratory Species (HMS) limits.  Effect July 1, 2025 private vessels with an HMS Angling permit can retain one bluefin tuna measuring 27” to < 73” and charter/headboat permit holders are allowed two bluefin tuna measuring 27” to < 73”. 

This is good news as most bluefin caught in this area are over 47”, and the present regulation is for fish measuring 27” to < 47”.

In general, quotas close to being met necessitated more conservative regulations this year.  In January tuna fishing in North Carolina was not allowed to close due to an Administration rule making executive order.  The freeze allowed overfishing which in part has meant reduced quotas for New York and New England fishermen as the fish migrate north.

It is important to note that for the past three years, anglers have caught an abundance of bluefin tuna close to shore in Southern New England.  Many believe robust bait/forage profiles are here close to shore in great abundance due to warming water.  And the fish are here because the forage fish they eat are here. 

This climate change impact points to the need for enhanced stock assessments and climate research to keep tabs on fish stocks like tuna and other species particularly sensitive to overfishing due to stock shifts and enhanced fishing pressure.

Capt. Mike Pierdinock, avid bluefin tuna fisher, member of the New England Fishery Management Council and President of the Stellwagen Bank Charter Boat Association, said, “We have a unique situation this year.  Due to the closure delay in North Carolina the general category overfished their 37.7 mt quota.  By the time they closed the fishery on February 28 they had harvested 115 mt of bluefin tuna.  That’s a lot when you consider the entire fishery is 1,300 mt.  This combined with overfishing bluefin tuna in general in 2024, including the recreational fishing community for the first time since 2010, we are experiencing these reductions out of caution to prevent overfishing this year.”

Hats off to Rick Bellavance, President of the RI Party & Charter Boat Association and Chair of the New England Fishery Management Council as well as Mike Pierdinock for advocating for a larger bluefin size.

For information and updates visit the NMFS Permit Shop.

 

Catch and release best practices for striped bass

Striped bass fishing is good, so good for this time of year that we have to make sure we use catch and release best practices to help ensure the survival of the fish we release.  More striped bass die after capture and release than those legal-size fish we take home to eat.

Fishing at the Cape Cod Canal has been very good too with anglers catching fish to 41”. East End Eddie Doherty, Cape Cod Canal fishing expert and author, said, “On Wednesday “Bill on the Grill” Prodouz landed a 40-inch linesider that fell for a herring Mystic glider and then a 41-inch powerhouse with a Yo-Zuri bone hydro twitch bait.”

On my charter boat Tuesday the fish were on the bottom. Jason Mills of Cranston caught a 39” striped bass on a tube & worm on the channel pad at Poppasquash Point, Bristol when fishing with Richard Hellwig of Providence.  And, Steve Brustein of Warwick caught a 34” fish in the same place earlier in the week.  There were no signs of fish on the surface but they were there in the lower water column and on the bottom.   

The striped bass stock is overfished, with overfishing occurring, so we all need to be ready to safely catch and release these fish giving them the best chance of survival.

Striped bass regulations are one fish/person/day in a slot size of 28” to less than 31”.

Catch and release tips

Gaffs are not allowed and inline circle hooks must be used when fishing with bait for striped bass, tube and worm fishing is an exception.

Bring the fish to the boat quickly, extended fights deplete oxygen and reduce survival.

Avoid putting fish on deck and letting it flop around, keep it in the water as much as possible.

Wet your hands or gloves before handling the fish, dry hands remove the fish’s protective slime layer and leave it open to infection.

Handle fish carefully.  Do not put fingers into gill cavities or eye sockets.

Gently remove the hook to minimize damage.

Use lures with single hook, barbless hooks (I snap them off), or circle hooks.

Return fish to water quickly. Place gently in water in upright horizontal position.  Move it back and forth in the water to force water across its gills.  Once revived it will flip its tail when ready to be released.

 

Where’s the bite?

Striped bass/bluefish.  Tom Olson of Ponaug Marina, Warwick, said, “The striped bass and bluefish bite has been good for anglers they are catching fish trolling with tube & worm, umbrellas rigs or using live bait.”  Ed Lombardo fly fishing expert and guide, said, “Fishing slowed on Narrow River, Narragansett Tuesday. I fished and moved many times to the more productive spots up, down, and across the river until 12 noon.  Fished again at 1:00 p.m., now an incoming tide, and caught two small bass and one hickory shad.” Striper fishing in the East Passage of Narragansett Bay has been good.  Last week anglers on my charter boat hooked up with bass to 40” with reports of a 52” fish being caught by RISAA member Dave Sweet’s son at Anawan Cliffs, Narragansett. Lay off the big fish if you have other options as more striped bass are killed after being release than those we take home to eat (see above article on bass catch and release practices).   Sherri Kanelos of Warwick boated her largest fish ever Sunday, a 24” bluefish off Bear Point Prudence Island.

Black sea bass, summer flounder (fluke), squeteague and scup.  Summer flounder fishing has been good in the lower Narragansett Bay with anglers catching keepers.  Tom Olson of Ponaug Bait & Tackle said, “We had two commercial rod & reel customers catch monster fluke in the East Passage around the Jamestown bridge, one fish they boated was over 30 inches.”  This weekend we caught multiple scup, fluke and squeteague in the Warwick Neck area.  Marc Carvalho of Warwick caught a 20” squeteague.  Most of the fluke were under 19 inches.

                                                                                                                                       

Freshwater.  The fresh water bite for largemouth, pike and trout remains very strong.  For ponds restocked with trout visit Freshwater Fishing | Mass.gov and in Rhode Island Fish & Wildlife | Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management.