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.

$1.1-million awarded for wind farm studies, COVID-19 fishing

 Fishing precautions:  You can fish and charter fish in Rhode Island and Massachusetts (May 25) but COVID-19 orders should be followed… six foot separation, mask, gloves when possible, etc.  Photo by Capt. Brian Coombs.

Off the beach:  Ed Manning caught this 20” tautog off Little Compton Beach.  Catching tautog from the beach is often not an easy task. Ed used a tautog rig with green crab.

$1.1-million awarded for wind farm studies, and COVID-19 fishing

Rhode Island, Massachusetts and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) announced grants worth $1.1 million for four regional studies (verses site specific studies) that will collect data vital to the development of offshore wind and fishing.

INSPIRE Environmental, Newport, in conjunction with the New England Aquarium and Standard Approaches for Acoustic and Imagery Data, will use acoustic telemetry to study highly migratory species.  The initiative will include the acoustic tagging and tracking of species such as tuna and sharks at popular recreational fishing spots in wind farm areas.  The study aims to provide new bassline data on highly migratory species enabling ongoing assessment of any impacts (negative or positive) of offshore wind on highly migratory species and associated recreational fishing.

“Rhode Island is a proud partner in this landmark effort to conduct regional scientific studies on fisheries resources prior to the start of any offshore construction activities,” said Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management Director Janet Coit.  “The selected studies will help to fill data gaps and allow for informed decision-making while paving the way for meeting Rhode Island’s renewable energy goals and advancing climate mitigation efforts.”

Atlantic bluefin tuna closure

The Angling category in the northern area (north of 39°18’ N. lat.) for trophy bluefin tuna closed May 21, 2020 and will remain closed through December 31, 2020. Trophy bluefin tuna are those that measure 73 inches or greater. Note that the Angling category fishery for school, large school, or small medium bluefin tuna 27 to less than 73 inches remains open.  Visit https://hmspermits.noaa.gov/ .

COVID-19 Fishing

As a charter captain I plan on implementing a series of guidelines, as part my COVID-19 Plan to get back to fishing with customers.

Earlier this week I fished with a colleague practicing many of these precautions to test them out and added a few based on the experience.

Masks were worm on the vessel and six foot separation was practiced, tackle box remained off limits except for the captain, bait was cut wearing gloves, ideally it should have been put in separate containers for each angler, each of us used our own gear.  Hands were washed or sanitized frequently.

After the fishing trip all gear, tackle and tools touched by anglers were put aside.  The vessel was washed with soap and rinsed thoroughly.  All fishing rods, tackle and tools i.e. plyers, cutting board, knives, filet gloves, tackle were washed in soapy water and rinsed thoroughly.  High touch areas were then disinfected with cleaner.

Fishing is a sport/activity that can be safely implemented in a pandemic bringing solace to individuals and joy to families and friends.  Make sure you take a number of passengers that safely allows six foot separate.  At press time the State is developing such a formula for charter boats based on the length and beam of your vessel.  Visit www.dem.ri.gov for details as they are released.

Family/household units are treated differently in that masks and social distancing are not necessary.

The below list of guidelines was developed from proposals made to Governor Gina Raimondo from the American Saltwater Guides Association, the RI Party & Charter Boat Association and standing RI Health Department and executive orders from the Governor.  It is an integral part by my charter fishing business COVID-19 plan and my personal plan for fishing with others recreationally.

No Fluke Fishing LLC, COVID-19 Guidelines

• Completion of a COVID-19 health screening the day before the trip which would include contact information on all trip participants (name, email address, phone number and city/state of residence) e-mailed to dmontifish@verizon.net .
  
• Passengers also asked to respond to the following question the day before the trip. “Are you or anyone else in your party experiencing any COVID-19 symptoms including fever, cough, difficulty breathing, loss of taste or smell, etc.” 
• Request that all passengers who are feeling ill or showing any signs of being infected cancel the trip prior to arrival with no penalty for cancellation. 

• Before boarding the vessel the temperature of passengers, crew and captain will be taken using an infrared thermometer. Any sign of fever, the trip will be postponed or cancelled with no penalty for cancelation. 

• Limiting the number of clients on board: No Fluke Fishing limits vessel trips to three to four passengers depending on the type of trip.  Phase I State of RI fishing regulations will change as conditions improve; presently they set the boats limit to six passengers plus captain based on the length and beam of the vessel. 

• Passengers provide their food and drink in small personal container, no communal cooler. 

• Vessel will practice social distancing (six feet) as required when fishing and when vessel is underway if at all possible.  Passengers must practice social distancing. 

• Passengers are asked to rinse, wash and sanitize hands regularly.

• All cabins, commonly touched surfaces, and equipment on the vessel will be sanitized between trips. The entire vessel is thoroughly cleaned at the end of each fishing day. 

• Charter fees will be collected online whenever possible to encourage paperless transactions. 

• All persons (captain and passengers) are required to wear face coverings during charter boat operations in accordance with RIDOH regulations.  Gloves are encouraged when possible. 

• No sharing of gear and tackle, ask captain to get supplies out of cabin and tackle boxes for you.

 Where’s the bite?

 Tautog. Kiana Macedo of Lucky Bait & Tackle, Warren said, “We weighed in a 25” male tautog last week.”  Ed Manning of Little Compton caught a 20” tautog off Little Compton Beach.  Catching tautog from the beach is often not an easy task. “Customers caught keeper tautog this weekend at the Day Marker and Conimicut Light.  At times there were so many boats fishing these spots it looked like a wagon train.  One customer caught two keepers at the Day Marker but they were in the 16” to 17” range.  Primarily small fish.” said John Littlefield of Archie’s Bait & Tackle, Riverside.  “The tautog fishing picked up this week with a good bite at General Rock, Plum Light and off Hope Island.” said Ken Ferrara of Ray’s Bait & Tackle, Warwick.  Jeff Ingber of Ocean State Tackle, Providence said, “Last weekend the tautog fishing was off.  Once the front arrived things shut down.”  Dereck Kolodziejczak reports on the RI Saltwater Angler Blog, “We fish all over  Narragansett bay , Newport, Providence for tog Friday, Saturday and Sunday both sides of the tide 10-40’ of water. STRUGGLE CITY!” 

Striped bass.  “Apponaug and East Greenwich Coves, Warwick Light and Bear Point, Prudence Island have all been good for school striped bass fishing.” said Ken Ferrara of Ray’s Bait & Tackle. Nathan Heywood of Red Top Sporting Goods, Buzzards Bay, said, “There are a lot of school striped bass in the Cape Cod Canal now with an occasional keeper being caught.  Soft plastics, bait and all types of lures seem to be working.” Jeff Ingber of Ocean State said, “Striped bass in the 22” to 26” range are all over the East Passage and in the West Passage they seem stretched out from Warwick Light to Quonset Point.”  Kiana Macedo of Lucky Bait & Tackle said, “Customers are catching fish all the way up the River to Pawtucket.”  “We have bass in the upper reaches of the Bay.  The bite has been good off Veterans Parkway in front of the orthopedic medical office building, at Bull Point and India Point, Providence.” said Littlefield of Archie’s Bait & Tackle.

Freshwater. “Customers are experiencing a good pickerel and largemouth bite at Stump Pond.” said Jeff Ingber of Ocean State.  John Littlefield of Archie’s Bait & Tackle said, “The largemouth bite is good in area ponds.  Shiners are the bait of choice.”  John Lavallee of Continental Bait & Tackle, Cranston said, “With the cold April we have an extended trout season.  Carbuncle Pond (Coventry) has been very good. But Meadow Brook Pond (Bradford) and Carolina Pond (Richmond) have been great too.”

Fishing good for July 4th week

Kyle Grant of East Providence, RI went fluke fishing for the first time Sunday and landed this 27”, nine pound fluke (summer flounder) under the Newport Bridge with a standard fluke rig tipped with a squid strip and minnow. Kyle was fishing the incoming tide with a southwest wind.

Fishing good for July 4th week

Fishing in the Bay and in near coastal waters is very good.

Striped bass. Captain Rick Bellavance of Priority Too Charters in Point Judith said, “Striped bass fishing around Block Island exploded this week. Earlier in the season the fish were in the 15 to 20 pound range, this week fish in the 30’s was quite common.” John Littlefield of Archie’s Bait and Tackle, East Providence said, “Last week fish in the upper East Passage were biting on live menhaden and you couldn’t interest them in chucks. My customers Kevin and Allen Bettencourt of East Providence caught a number of fish in the 20 pound range.” Ken Landry of Ray’s Bait & Tackle, Warwick said, “Bass are still in the Bay but they are dispersed. You have to hunt them out. We caught a couple of nice bass off Warrick Neck and on the usual rock piles (Ohio Ledge) last week using menhaden chucks.” Erick and his son Alex Apollonian took friend Chip Broderick bass fishing off Block Island this Saturday and caught six keeper striped bass fishing the southwest side and the north rip. Eric said, “Our largest fish (caught by Chip, 14 years old) was 26 pounds. We caught them on Diamond jigs, green parachute jigs and tube and worm.”

Overall bass fishing in the Bay has slowed which happens each year at this time as the water starts to heat up. Water in many places in the Bay is in the 70 degree range.

Fluke fishing continues to heat up too. Buzz at Maridee Bait & Tackle on Point Judith Road in Narragansett said, “Customers are picking up fluke off the sea walls at the Harbor of Refugee.” John Littlefield said, customers are catching fluke at Warwick Light as well as off Newport, with good fish coming out of 40 to 50 feet of water off Rose Island, Newport”. Kyle Grant of East Providence caught a 27” fluke (his first fluke) under the Newport Bridge using a standard squid rig tipped with squid strip and a minnow while fishing No Fluke Charters. Good fluke bite being reported at the Jamestown and Newport bridges, Dutch Island, Beavertail, and Austin Hollow and in front of the URI Bay Campus in North Kingstown. Gary Zera and David Cabral fished Seal Ledge off Newport for Fluke on Sunday and caught fourteen keepers (their limit) in about four and a half hours fishing the incoming and outgoing tides. Their largest fish was 27” with four fish in the 24 to 26” range. They were using squid strips and fluke bellies on standard squid rings. This is one of the best fluke fishing reports I have heard this year.
Large bluefish have still have not made their presence known in force in the upper Bay, however fish in the 2 to 3 pound range are quite common. Some large blues surfaced Sunday south of the Jamestown Bridge with anglers having a lot of fun fishing the school with poppers said Eric Apollonian.

Striped bass poaching law
At press time, the Rhode Island State House and Senate had approved a striped bass poaching bill that makes penalties more severe for taking striped bass illegally. The Rhode Island Saltwater Anglers Association (RISAA) has advocated hard for stiffer penalties to protect the species and enhance a sustainable striped bass fishery. Anglers are urged to e-mail the Governor at www.governor@governor.ri.gov to express their thoughts about the bill. Steve Medeiros, president of RISAA said, key points that should be made for signing the bill include:

Striped bass are our most sought after fish
Recreational fishing is worth over $180 million in R.I.
Illegal taking of striped bass is a big black-market business
Current law is $50 fine per fish, yet a single striper sells for $75-$150 per fish
Poachers undermine the fisheries management process
Poachers take large stripers to sell and these are the breeders and future of the fishery
Striped bass belongs to ALL citizens, and poachers steal from everyone
Everyone, commercial, charter boats and recreational anglers support this legislation
The new fines would put us in line with CT and MA

NOAA sets fishing quotas for bluefin tuna
Last week NOAA announced quotas and other measures for bluefin tuna that underscore the nation’s commitment to sustainable science-based management of this vital fish stock. The allocations divide the available 2011 U.S. bluefin tuna quota of 957 metric tons among commercial and recreational fishing sectors for the fishing season that began on June 1.
The General category, which includes commercial fishermen who use rod and reel, will receive 435 metric tons, nearly half the 2011 U.S. quota. Allocations for the other categories are as follows: Angling category (which includes recreational fishermen), 182 metric tons; purse seine fishermen, 171.8 metric tons; longline fishermen, 61 metric tons; harpoon fishermen, 36 metric tons; trap fishermen, 0.9 metric tons; and a reserve of 70.6 metric tons. The reserve is set aside for scientific research and to account for landings and dead discards.
NOAA announced on May 27 that the Atlantic bluefin tuna currently do not warrant species protection under the Endangered Species Act.
More information on bluefin visit www.nmfs.noaa.gov/stories/2011/05/bluefin_tuna.html .