No Fluke

Fisheries celebration in D.C.

By Captain Dave Monti
Posted 4/21/16

I attended a celebration in Washington, D.C. last week on the 40th anniversary of the Magnuson-Stevens Act (MSA), the fishing law of this nation. The celebration was organized by six conservation …

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No Fluke

Fisheries celebration in D.C.

Posted

I attended a celebration in Washington, D.C. last week on the 40th anniversary of the Magnuson-Stevens Act (MSA), the fishing law of this nation. The celebration was organized by six conservation groups led by The PEW Trusts. 

Like all anniversaries, it was a time for reflection. How successful has the MSA been? And, does it need to be adjusted in the future?  The MSA provided the teeth needed to set firm, allowable catch limits (ACL), which directly led to 39 fish stocks being rebuilt. So we need to keep this law strong so fishermen and fish managers have firm catch limits to continue to rebuild fish stocks.

Moving forward, MSA needs to include things like enhanced forage fish protections, stronger by-catch provisions and most important, a big-picture ecosystem-based management planning strategy. We need an ecosystem-based management strategy because climate change and warming water have forced some fish out of our waters and forced other species (like black sea bass and summer flounder) into our area in greater numbers and present fisheries management strategies are not handling these changes. Presently, climate change, forage fish and stronger by-catch provisions are not consistently incorporated into a big picture management strategy  

Last week’s celebration focused on informational meetings with members of congress and their staff with representatives from commercial and recreational fishing, the New England Aquarium and the Conservation Law Foundation (this was the CT, MA, RI team).

So, happy 40th Anniversary to the Magnuson-Stevens Act, a law that has served fish and fishermen well.

Nation’s top fisheries manager creates greater transparency

When I first met Eileen Sobeck in 2014, she was just appointed NOAA’s assistant administrator for fisheries. Ms. Sobeck is our nation’s top fish manager. Last week, we met a second time as she presented on major NOAA initiatives moving forward.

Ms. Sobeck oversees the management and conservation of marine fisheries, including scientific research, fisheries management, law enforcement and habitat conservation, as well as the protection of marine mammals and sea turtles. Over the past two years, Sobeck has made NOAA fisheries more transparent, has provided recreational fishing with a greater voice in how fisheries are managed (although some believe it needs an even greater voice) and has done a good job upholding the fishing law of this nation (the Magnuson-Stevens Act).  

In brief, here are seven key NOAA initiatives assistant administrator Eileen Sobeck laid out in her presentation last week.

Electronic monitoring is seen as a way to defray the cost of vessel observers and to keep the benefits of monitoring without the high cost and sometimes intrusive presence of monitors.

Reduce bycatch (the unintended fish caught when targeting other species). Bycatch is a major resource drain. A bycatch initiative is in place that considers gear, fishing location and a host of other variables.

Climate change and its effect on fisheries is a key focus, particularly how to use limited research funds and examine how climate change is impacting us. An approach was proposed by NOAA last year.

Ecosystem-based management. NOAA has proposed a policy and is finalizing it with public input. The new policy will clarify the agency’s direction, focus and priorities for managing fisheries in an increasingly complex and changing environment.  The plan is to build upon successes in other regions.

Ecological forecasting of major environmental events (like El Nino) and climate change.

Aquaculture. How to grow this third largest fishery and successfully manage U.S. and imported seafood.

National global knowledge share. Help the world enhance its fisheries.

Nu-2-U Tackle Sale

Snug Harbor Marina, South Kingstown, will hold its annual Nu-2-U used tackle sale event on April 30 and May 1. Rods, reels, combos, gaffs and lures are just some of the equipment you are likely to find at the sale. Sell or buy used gear or update your tackle with new equipment. Elisa Cahill of Snug Harbor said, “It’s a great opportunity to sell items and upgrade to some new technology. The way the sale works is that if you sell your used tackle at our sale you give us a 20-percent commission, or you can use 100 percent of the sale price towards new equipment you buy from us.”  

For information, call 401-783-7766. Snug Harbor Marina is at 410 Gooseberry Road, South Kingstown. 

Narragansett Trout Unlimited meets April 27

The Narragansett Chapter of Trout Unlimited (TU225) will meet Wednesday, April 27, 6:30 p.m., at the Coventry/West Greenwich Elks Lodge, 42 Nooseneck Hill Road (Rte. 3, Exit 6 off of Rte. 95), West Greenwich. The primary focus of this meeting will be a presentation by The Mayforth Group, a Government Relations and Advocacy firm located in Providence. This group is part of a coalition named The Herring Alliance (http://www.herringalliance.org/ ), an organization committed to promoting an “ecosystem-based” fisheries management policy within the region. Its primary concern is the chronic overfishing of the forage fish that has led to the population of river herring/shad to drop to dangerous levels. The group and alliance’s focus is to protect and restore the forage fish in our waterways. Contact Chapter President Ron Marafioti at (401) 463-6162 with any questions. 

DEM holds fly fishing workshops

Registration is now open for fly fishing workshops being sponsored by the Department of Environmental Management (DEM) and its partners.  

April 23: Kids’ Fly Fishing Event, 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., Burrillville. Hosted by DEM, Trout Unlimited and United Fly Tyers to provide hands-on, fly-fish instruction to children 8 years and older. The program focuses on equipment needs, fly-tying, fly-casting and fishing safety. Lunch and equipment provided. A parent or guardian must be present at all times. 

June 4: Fly-Fishing Express, 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., Newport.  Experienced anglers have an opportunity to access remote fishing areas along Aquidneck Island using the historic Old Colony Train. Instructors will be available to help fine-tune participants’ fly-fishing skills. Lunch and equipment provided. Fee: $15. 

June 25: Introduction to Freshwater-Fly Fishing, 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., Burrillville. Families with children 10 years and older learn about fly-fishing equipment, fly-tying, fly-casting and the best fishing areas across Rhode Island during this six-hour workshop. Lunch and equipment provided. Fee: $15 per person. 

July 9: Women’s Fly Fishing Workshop, 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., Carolina. DEM, Wood River Fly Fishing and Narragansett Trout Unlimited host a fly-fishing workshop for women only. The program will focus on equipment, fly-tying, fly-casting and highlight fishing areas across Rhode Island. Lunch and equipment provided. 

DEM also offers group fishing training at a pond in Richmond. The training pond welcomes school, scout, senior and youth groups to learn to fish in a safe, wheelchair-accessible area. Bait, rods, tackle and training are provided. Reservations are required, and there is no cost to participate. 

To register, contact Kimberly Sullivan at 401-539-0019 or email Kimberly.sullivan@dem.ri.gov. 

Where’s the bite

Fresh water fishing remains strong. “The freshwater bass fishing is the best it has been in recent years. And, the trout bite has been remarkable because there was no ice fishing this year so all the trout stocked in the fall were still in the water, plus the spring stocking,” said Dave Henault of Ocean State Tackle, Providence. John Littlefield of Archie’s Bait & Tackle, Riverside, said, “The Brickyard in Barrington has been very slow, other ponds like Willet Avenue have been good. A kayak customer bought twelve shiners this weekend and fished a pond in Rehoboth. He hit a fish on every cast, bass and a catfish.”

Striped bass. Elisa Cahill of Snug Harbor Marina said, “Several days last week, anglers had great action on the West Wall. Tom McGuire had 35 fish one night and Cliff Richer released over 75 fish. Some customers caught over 100 so far. This is great action.” Ken Ferrara of Ray’s Bait & Tackle, Warwick, said, “Anglers fishing the Greenwich Bay Sandy Point/Sally Rock area landed school bass floating worms.” Dave Henault of Ocean State said, “The best lures to use for early spring are pencil poppers and needles, as they are not noisy and mimic herring. Once Atlantic menhaden arrive, larger lures work best.”

Tautog fishing is slow. The spring season opened April 15 and ends May 31. John Littlefield of Archie’s Bait & Tackle, said, “A customer using clam worms and clam tongue fishing the Wharf Tavern area for tautog caught an 18-inch keeper.” Ken Ferrara of Ray’s Bait said, “In the spring female tautog hide from the males so you will find them in lower water. When they are ready to spawn, they show up around the rock clusters. In spring, we have catch tautog when we were on the drift fluke fishing off the northern shore of Greenwich Bay, in front of Mill Creek just south of Conimicut Point and other low water sandy areas. Later in the spring, we would target rocky places like Ohio Ledge and Conimicut Light.” 

Cod fishing was fair last week. The Francis Fleet reports, on one trip, anglers came back with a dinner or two. Fishing is expected to improve as the weather improves.

Captain Dave Monti has been fishing and shell fishing for over 40 years. He holds a captain’s master license and a charter fishing license. He is a RISAA board member, a member of the RI Party & Charter Boat Association and a member of the RI Marine Fisheries Council. Contact or forward fishing news and photos to Capt. Dave at dmontifish@verizon.net or visit his website at www.noflukefishing.com. 

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