In Rhode Island, the commercial fishing industry is a pillar of the state’s economy and culture, but with global warming and dynamic environmental changes, the industry is sailing into the unknown.
While New England is outpacing much of the United States in rising temperatures, Rhode Island is warming even faster than its regional neighbors, according to a 2022 report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and The Providence Journal.

Sea levels have also risen considerably across the ocean state, with the Newport tide gauge rising 10.1 inches over the past century, according to NOAA.

Rhode Island’s sea levels have gained momentum over the last decade, now rising by an inch every eight years, according to Sea Level Rise. This growth is evident in Providence, while the capital city took 40 years to rise six inches, it's now projected to gain another six inches in just the next 16 years.

The Narragansett Bay water has also increased by three degrees Fahrenheit over the past century with water levels rising up to seven inches, according to Save The Bay. These unpredictable environmental changes make it increasingly difficult for commercial fishermen and fisheries to rely on consistent ecosystems while abiding by catch quotas.

“We as fishery scientists and managers have to grapple with climate change itself,” Chief of Marine Fisheries at the Department of Environmental Management Scott Olszewski said. “What we're seeing is a change in species distribution. Species that were historically found to our south in the mid-Atlantic region are now being found in southern New England.”

Migrating species populations cause historic commercial fisheries quota and catch limits produced by the state to fall out of sync, according to Olszewski. Historical quota allocations have a hard time reflecting where these populations actually are, creating uncertainty in the industry.

“A species that was historically found in the mid-Atlantic area, and the quotas were based on some historical catch, now as those species move out of that region and into another region, the quota still remains down in the mid-Atlantic, but abundance has changed and distribution has changed,” Olszewski said. ”You can imagine our commercial fishing industry is trying to target a species that we simply don't have enough quota to support.”

Black sea bass is one of the most prominent species that have migrated to the New England area, according to Deputy Chief of Marine Fisheries at DEM, Julia Livermore. While historically a mid-Atlantic fish, the species is now a fixture in northern waters, but the fishing quotas remain anchored in the mid-Atlantic. As sea bass arrive, other species depart, with lobster populations declining in the Rhode Island area.
Losing access to shifting species is one of the biggest challenges for local fisheries and fishermen due to historical quotas, according to Livermore. Fishing vessels spend more time and fuel transiting to states that hold available quotas, even though the species themselves may no longer be in those waters.

“It's this really challenging thing of balancing the management with the changing environmental conditions,” Livermore said. “If they're spending a lot more on fuel because they have to land in a state that still has quota available, that's nowhere near where the fish actually are at any given time, that's adding a lot of cost for them.”

Although global warming and climate changes cause roadblocks to the commercial fishing industry, their expertise and infrastructure advancements help them prepare for future developments in marine ecosystems.

With sea levels rising at an accelerating rate, State Port Manager at DEM, Dan Costa, prepares for the long term effects of the environmental changes. Costa takes rising sea levels into consideration and balances it with the operational needs of the commercial fishing industry to provide resilient and accessible ports.

“We live in a rapidly changing natural environment that could lead to changes in fish distribution and stocks based upon environmental trends, whether that be sea level rise or whether that be water warming.”

The state invests tens of millions of dollars in both federal and state funds to create resilient infrastructure that competes with the rapidly changing environment, according to Costa.

“The Rhode Island commercial fishing fleet is extremely resilient and they have the ability to adapt very rapidly to different environmental changes to maximize their business.”

Johnny Ochsenfeld recently graduated from the University of Rhode Island with a degree in journalism and sports media communication.