Advocating for fisheries in Washington, DC

Kattie Lightbody with a 34" striped bass caught with an umbrella rig when fishing with her uncle, Greg Spier.

Capt. Dave Monti with a big Newport summer flounder (fluke).

Advocating for NOAA:  Capt. Dave Monti; George Baldwin, Past President, Connecticut Surfcasters; Gretchen Spiers, Vice President, Cape Cod Salties; and Scott Travers, Executive Director of the RI Saltwater Anglers Association.

Advocating for fisheries in Washington, DC 

Last month, I had the chance to advocate for full funding for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in Washington, DC.

I was with Gretchen Spiers, Vice President of the Cape Cod Salties; Scott Travers, Executive Director of the RI Saltwater Anglers Association; George Baldwin, Past President of the Connecticut Surfcasters Association; and seven other charter captains and anglers.

NOAA is under attack to reduce its staff and budget by about a third. We were in Washington to share with congressional offices how these drastic cuts would impact recreational fishing and the economies of our states.

“We spoke with House and Senate staff about supporting NOAA’s Office of Habitat Conservation and Restoration, the National Estuary Research Reserves, and the inter-jurisdictional fisheries grants. Since Massachusetts has the largest commercial and recreational fishing economy in New England, and is the third largest producer of seafood in the country (behind Alaska and Washington State), these cuts will disproportionately impact Massachusetts,” said Grechen Spiers of the Cape Cod Salties.

Rhode Island has benefited greatly by these programs including our National Sea Grant Programs at URI Graduate School of Oceanography and Roger Willimas University, Narragansett Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, and many of the programs run by the Narraganset Bay Estuary Program.  Most of these programs would simply go away.

In Massachusetts NOAA funding supports the Waquoit Bay Estuary Research Reserve in Falmouth and Mashpee, grants assessing the impact of wastewater discharge from the Pilgrim Nuclear Plant into Cape Cod Bay, grants for offsetting losses due to the decline in Atlantic herring stocks, and many other local initiatives,” said Gretchen Spiers.  “NOAA dollars also fund ongoing science-based research projects at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, such as those for the National Sea Grant Program and the Ocean Acidification Program,”

With budget cuts data-based stock assessments and fisheries cannot effectively be managed. The loss of funding for the Marine Recreational Information Program (MRIP) – direct mail and interview intercept surveys - will significantly harm the ability of NOAA to manage fisheries.

Spiers said, “A reduction in new and more accurate data collection efforts may lead to moratoriums and seasonal closures based on even more uncertain data, or possibly worse, increased deregulation.”

Our congressional delegation relies on anglers to keep them informed about what they are experiencing on the water, what the issues are and how these NOAA cuts will impact our industry. So please take the time to email them your concerns about NOAA cuts.

Top three tips to catch bigger fluke

The summer flounder (fluke) bite is on.  Anglers are hooking up with keeper fluke off Newport, in lower Narragansett Bay, Mt. Hope Baye, along our coastal shore and around Block Island. 

My three top tips

First you need to plan, plan, and plan your fluke trips.  The idea is to select six to eight places you will fish based on wind and tide being in line.  This is important as you want to drag your bait over the front of the fluke as they set up looking into the current.  I then go to the first place I hope to catch fish based on catching experience and recent fishing intelligence and then go the second, third, fourth places, etc. until we catch fish.

Second, larger fish usually come on edges of structure.  This includes inclines and declines around channel banks and ledges, the foot of jetties where it meets sand, between ledges, drifting over humps and bumps, fishing bridge abutment areas where bait gets tossed, etc.

Third, be ready to fish multiple rigs and baits.  This means being ready to use multiple-colored rigs, jig types and stingers.  And, be ready to tip them with a variety of baits including squid, gulp or the ground fish you have starting to catch and strip up i.e. sea robins, scup, bluefish, etc.  The idea is to try a number of rig and bait arrangements until you discover what the fish want on any given day.

Fluke regulations in Massachusetts include a minimum size of 17.5” from a vessel and 16.5” from shore with a five fish/person/day limit. In Rhode Island the fluke regulation is a 19” minimum size, six fish/person/day with special shore areas where anglers are allowed two 17” fish.   

Where’s the bite?

Striped bass/bluefish.  East End Eddie Doherty, Cape Cod Canal fishing expert and author, said, “Action on the Canal has slowed down. Notwithstanding the gloom experienced by most, Mike Dick, a talented Bourne lure maker, enticed a couple of slots to hit his Happy as a Clam white Mini Canal Cruiser for some top water action on an early east tide at first light, and a couple of days before, caught a 39-inch bluefish.”  “The spring run of striped bass has been very good with high numbers of fish being caught in the Providence and Taunton Rivers as well as in Narragansett and Mt. Hope Bays,” said Jeff Sullivan of Lucky Bait & Tackle, Warren.  “The herring are still coming out of the Rivers and there are Atlantic menhaden too so depending on where you are anglers are using 9” Doc’s to smaller 4” lures.  We also saw some bonito at the Newport Bridge this week.” Tom Giddings of the Tackle Box, Warwick, said, “This weekend we had large bass in Warwick and East Greenwich Coves with worm hatches occurring.  The bass were everywhere with an occasional bluefish mixed in.” Angler Greg Spier, said, “My niece Kattie Lightbody of Foxborough caught a 34" striped bass using an umbrella rig in the Brenton Reef area off Newport.”

Black sea bass, summer flounder (fluke), squeteague and scup. “We caught keeper fluke at Prudence Island this week, you had to work for them but they were there,” said Jeff Sullivan of Lucky Bait.  Anglers are working to catch keeper black sea bass.  “Scup are not abundant in the upper Bay but the bite is consistent off Newport and at the Sakonnet with a good fluke bite there as well as at Block Island,” said Dave Henault of Ocean State Tackle.  “Large scup are being caught in the Bay with anglers landing squeteague and fluke at Warwick Light,” said Tom Giddings of the Tackle Box. Angler Matt Haczynski reports on the RI Saltwater Anglers blog, “Sunday the bite was insane off Newport.  The fluke tossed up squid all over the boat when they came on board. We had our limit before noon each day.” 

Freshwater.  “The largemouth bite continues to be excellent with frogs working well as the ponds I am fishing have a lot of vegetation and pads already,” said Jeff Sullivan of Lucky Bait. Tom Giddings of the Tackle Box, said, “Freshwater fishing is on fire with customers catching a 4.9 and a 5.1 pound largemouth using shiners. Both Little and Gorton Ponds in Warwick are hot.”

 

Striped bass in tough shape, mangers take action

Capt. John McMurray of One More Cast Charters, NY testified Wednesday before the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Ocean and Wildlife.

Anglers advocate in Washington, DC this week: Capt. Dave Monti, No Fluke Charters; Todd Corayer, South Kingstown writer and kayak fishermen; Peter Jenkins, owner of the Saltwater Edge, Middletown; Capt. Ian Devlin, East Norfolk, CT.


Striped bass in tough shape, fish mangers take action 

The Striped Bass Board of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) announced Tuesday that they plan to reduce striped bass total removals (commercial and recreational harvest, including dead releases) by roughly 17 percent. 

The 2018 Atlantic Striped Bass Benchmark Stock Assessment indicates the resource is overfished and experiencing overfishing relative to the updated reference points defined in the assessment. Female spawning stock biomass (SSB) was estimated at 151 million pounds, below the SSB threshold of 202 million pounds. Despite recent declines in SSB, the assessment indicated the stock is still significantly above the SSB levels observed during the moratorium in the mid-1980s

The Draft Addendum that aims to reduce harvest will explore a range of management options, including minimum size and slot size limits for the recreational fishery in the Chesapeake Bay and along the coast, as well as a coastwide circle hook requirement when fishing with bait.

The Draft Addendum will be presented to the Board for its consideration and approval for public comment in August. If approved, it will be released for public comment, with the Board considering its final approval in October for implementation in 2020.

A more detailed description of the stock assessment results is available on the Commission’s website at http://www.asmfc.org .

Anglers advocate for conservation, enhanced data and climate change tools

Anglers, guides, charter captains and fishing industry leaders met in Washington, DC this week to push to maintain strong conservation measures in our national fishing law, the Magnuson-Stevens Act (MSA).  Provisions such as Allowable Catch Limits (ACLs) and Accountability Measures (fish sectors making up the difference if they overfish) are MSA provisions that have helped rebuild over 40 fish stocks since the year 2000.  

The group of anglers visited the offices of senators and congressmen advocating for enhance data (possibly through electronic recording) and providing fish mangers with enhanced climate change tools to manage species that have migrated as water has warmed. 

Peter Jenkins, owner of the Saltwater Edge outfitters in Middletown, RI and board chairman of the American Saltwater Guides Association said, “Our aim to run sustainable businesses through conservation and keeping the conservation measures in our national fishing law strong.”

In other Washington, DC fishing news this week, Capt. John McMurray of One More Cast Charters in Oceanside, NY and president of the American Saltwater Guides Association testified before the House Natural Resource Subcommittee on Water, Ocean and Wildlife Wednesday.  McMurray said, “Conservation provisions contained in the current version of our national fishing law reduced the number of stocks being overfished from 92 to 38 since 2000.  According to NOAA Fisheries recreational participation and seafood landings are up as a result and that’s because conservation provisions increased access by making more fish available to more people.”

Spring fishing off to a great start

The spring fishing season has gotten off to a great start.  Anglers had a great opening to the freshwater season with trout and golden trout still being caught in stocked waterways (see below report).  

And this week, the saltwater fishing season exploded with some anglers catching as many as 30 migrating school bass an outing with reports of a 30” fish being caught too (28” is the minimum size, one fish/person/day}.  To enhance the safe release of small school bass use in-line hooks, or snap off the barbs on treble hooks, and gently bring these fish in for a safe release. 

The tautog bite has been good too this week with many anglers limiting out (three fish/person/day, 16” minimum), some fish being caught are in the 20 plus inch range.

So get out there and fish.

Where’s the bite?

Striped bass.  The striped bass migration started to hit Rhode Island early last week with school bass at the West Wall.  Mike Wade of Watch Hill Outfitters, Westerly, said, “We have customers catching holdover bass far up the Pawcatuck River at the Westerly/Pawcatuck Bridge and others at the West Wall of the Harbor of Refuge in South Kingstown catching migrating bass.  The fish are loaded with sea lice.”  Neil Hayes of Quaker Lane Bait & Tackle, North Kingstown said, “Anglers are catching migrating striped bass all the way to Conimicut Point and beyond up the river.  We have good reports of a striped bass bite in Apponaug and East Greenwich Coves.” Manny Macedo of Lucky Bait & Tackle, Warren said, “One of our customers caught a 30” keeper in the Barrington River and two others caught over 30 school bass.  They said they successfully released all of them.”

Tautog.  “Tautog fishing for commercial fishermen has been getting better.  Some are catching five to six keepers using clam as bait, not a lot of green crabs around year.  They are setting traps but the water is still too cold around here and the crabs are still dormant.” Manny Macedo of Lucky Bait & Tackle said, “Tautog fishing is very good.  Anglers are limiting out (three fish/person/day) using green crabs.  The bite is on in Tiverton, in the Sakonnet River and at the Barrington River Bridge.” Neil Hayes of Quaker Lane Bait & Tackle, said, “The tautog bite off Newport and Jamestown was very good this week.  Anglers are using both worms and green crabs for bait.”  Angler John Migliori has been catching keeper tautog along Ocean Drive, Newport.  This past weekend he caught a 22” fish from shore.

Freshwater fishing. Manny Macedo of Lucky Bait said, “The bite at Bad Luck Pond for trout has been very good, however fishing at Brickyard Pond, Barrington has not been good at all.  The largemouth bite continues to be good in the area.” Neil Hayes of Quaker Lane Bait & Tackle said, “Customers are still catching golden trout.  We weighed in two that were caught at Silver Spring Lake, North Kingstown. So the trout bite is still good.  The largemouth bass bite has been good for anglers too.”  Mike Wake of Watch Hill Outfitters said, “The trout bite is still great at ponds that DEM stocked such as Carolina and Bradford Ponds.  And, they are still catching golden trout.  Once again DEM has done a great job stocking.” 

Visit www.mass.gov/orgs/division-of-fisheries-and-wildlife for a list of stocked trout ponds and regulations in Massachusetts.  And, for stocked ponds and regulations in Rhode Island visit www.dem.ri.gov .