No Fluke

Anglers landing elegant triggerfish

Captain Dave Monti
Posted 10/1/14

ray triggerfish (balistes capriscus) have been caught off our coastal shores for many years. Their elegant look with a wide separation between their mouth and eyes, gives them an appearance of a warm …

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No Fluke

Anglers landing elegant triggerfish

Posted

ray triggerfish (balistes capriscus) have been caught off our coastal shores for many years. Their elegant look with a wide separation between their mouth and eyes, gives them an appearance of a warm water tropical fish. They are often used as show fish in public aquariums. However, the gray triggerfish appears in warm and cold climates. Its geographic distribution in the western Atlantic Ocean is from Nova Scotia, southeast to Bermuda and south to Argentina as well as the Gulf of Mexico.

Steve Burstein of West Warwick, RI, who landed his first trigger fish off Point Judith Sunday, said , "When it came in the boat I had no idea what it was but the captain said it was a trigger fish and that you can eat them. So I got two nice fillets out of the fish." Roger Simpson of the Frances Fleet said that on their scup trip Sunday they landed a variety of fish "including trigger fish".

Triggerfish prefer hard bottoms, reefs, and ledges and is abundant near shore and offshore. The Florida Museum of Natural History said that the gray triggerfish has been observed displaying an interesting feeding behavior. Triggerfish assumed a vertical position (over sand) a few inches above the bottom. The fish directed a stream of water at the sand with enough force to reveal sand dollars. When successfully exposing a sand dollar, the fish would grab the sand dollar lifting it above the bottom and dropping it until it landed upside down. This was followed by the triggerfish assuming the vertical position again and with jaws closed, thrusting downward, crushing the center and then eating the soft inside.

Striped bass debate heats up

Since the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) put new striped bass regulation options out for public hearing there has been a great deal of input for ASMFC representing Rhode Island and other coastal states. The Commission took public comment under advisement until September 30 and will review comments to help inform their decision at the October meeting.

New developments this week included the Recreational Fishing Alliance (RFA), a national recreational fishing advocacy group, to announce their support of new striped bass regulation at one fish at 28". RFA executive director Jim Donofrio said, "According to the science, there's a better than 85% chance that striped bass will be considered an overfished species within the next three years, and that's not an option for RFA or our members," Donofrio said. "We've talked to a lot of individuals and business owners up and down the coast, and it would seem one option in particular, one fish at 28 inches, is perhaps the fairest, most efficient, and most productive option of all in terms of sustaining this fishery through to the next stock assessment."

In Rhode Island, the Rhode Island Saltwater Anglers Association (RISAA) revised its position last week. In a September 24th news advisory to members RISAA president Steve Medeiros said, "The RISAA Board of Directors has voted to change the RISAA "preferred options" for the proposed Draft Addendum IV to Amendment 6 of the Atlantic Striped Bass Fisheries Management Plan and to resubmit this proposal to the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC)."

Medeiros continued, "The RISAA Board had previously voted to support option B7 which would have provided for two fish with a slot limit, but new information has been obtained that indicates this option may not provide the appropriate percent reduction as indicated in the ASMFC document… the Board also considered requests by members that we seek more restrictive proposals. The addendum's one-fish options ranged from 28", 30" and 32", and while 32 inches was desirable, the Board had to consider the bay and shore anglers who would be severely penalized with the largest minimum size. Therefore, the RISAA Board has unanimously voted (and will resubmit to the ASMFC) the following: That proposed management options, to take place on January, 1, 2015, shall obtain the maximum reductions within a *ONE YEAR TIME FRAME*; and that the Coastal Recreational Fishery be reduced to *ONE FISH with a MINIMUM SIZE OF 30 INCHES* (option B3) which would achieve a reduction of 31% (or greater)."

Capt. Rick Bellavance, president of the RI Party and Charter Boat Association (RIPCBA) said, "We originally submitted a two fish option with a three year rebuild, however, after hearing the RI Saltwater Angler Association's position, we added their original two fish, one year proposal to our recommendation. So we were very sorry to hear they changed to a one year option as the science is telling us that we can get this done with two fish and achieve essentially the same results (an overall 25% reduction in one year with a two fish option or extending it out three years)." Capt. Bellavance said, "A one fish option will be devastating to our industry, boats will lose charters and sit at the docks."

Nicole Lengyel, ASMFC striped bass technical committee member (and RI DEM marine biologist) said at an ASMFC public hearing in RI that the party and charter boat industry represents less than 5% of all landed recreational striped bass. Party and charter boat anglers generally fish for bass once a year when they hire a charter boat. They do not have an opportunity to catch more than one or two fish a year. Private anglers catch the lion's share of recreational striped bass, many of them practice catch and release, however, they do catch and consume 95% of all recreational striped bass.

With this disparity… recreational anglers on party and charter boats keeping one or two fish per year and private anglers who often catch and keep many more fish … it may make sense to start thinking about treating these segments of the recreational fishery separately. Just as we have started to give shore and boat anglers, commercial rod & reel and commercial ground fishermen, etc. separate consideration in the past.

RIMFC meeting

October 6

The Rhode Island Marine Fisheries Council (RIMFC) will meet Monday, October 6, 6:00 p.m. at the URI Narragansett Bay Campus, Corless Auditorium, South Ferry Road, Narragansett, RI. Agenda items include proposed aquaculture lease applications, a report from the September 30 public hearing, winter harvest schedules in shellfish management areas, and winter flounder state and federal water possession limit discrepancies. The public is urged to attend. Visit www.dem.ri.gov (Marine Fisheries Division) for details.

Where's the bite

Striped bass fishing was not good in the Bay, off Newport and out at Block Island last week. Some good sized fish were taken at night at Block Island this weekend said angler Eric Appolonia but Sunday during the day the bite was off.

Black sea bass fishing was good off Block Island and Pt. Judith this weekend. Anglers Eric and Alex Appolonia landed their limit of black sea bass off Pt. Judith Sunday. Steve Burstein fished off Pt. Judith said, "We caught our limit both Saturday and Sunday and often times the action was nonstop." Gisele Golembeski said, "(she and her husband Rich) Switched over to sea bass near Southeast Light (off Block Island). (We) got our limit within an hour. No monsters, but a few suppers- worth will be awesome over the next couple months!!! Sea bass caught on green glow fluke rigs (jigs & skirts) topped with squid. Heads on jigs produced biggest fish."

False albacore and bonito fishing was great once again this week with anglers hooking up with false albacore and some bonito from Narragansett Beach and Pt. Judith Light to Watch Hill. Anglers were using both silver lures like Deadly Dicks and soft plastics. Angler Gisele Golembeski said, "Albies off PJ Middle Wall today (Sunday). Green deadly dick did the trick. Rich (Gisele's husband) was lucky enough to hook up on one!! What a fight!! Felt like we were on Wicked Tuna, lol!!!" Capt. Mike Warren said, "I fished near Deep Hole in front of the Ocean Mist (Matunuck) and landed several false albacore using a small Deadly Dick and a soft plastic lure. The bonito were in the area (Friday) but just couldn't hook up with them." Carol Kalfian, who lives on the water near East Matunuck Beach, said anglers in boats were casting toward shore as bonito and false albacore humorously danced behind them."

Cod fishing is starting to pick up a bit with the Frances Fleet landing cod at both Cox's Ledge and off Block Island. Roger Simpson said, "Saturday's hi-hook took home seven nice keepers… and the (largest) pool fish was a fine green cod that weighed in the mid-teens."

Captain Dave Monti has been fishing and shell fishing for over 40 years. He holds a captain's mas"ter license and a charter fishing license. Visit Captain Dave's No Fluke website at www.noflukefishing.

com or e-mail him with your fishing news and photos at dmontifish@verizon.net.

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