Greenhouse gases bad for fish, habitat and anglers

What is an angler to do?  We like the idea of catching fish we have not had in our waters or in our waters in this abundance before. But, we do not want to damage the fishery.  Fish like black sea bass, mahi, wahoo, cobia, even tarpon are being caught here.  And fish like bluefin tuna, false albacore and often bonito are here in greater abundance close to shore.  Even sharks and whales are crowding in along the coast.

All this new fishing opportunity is great, however we do not want to impact fishing negatively.  So we need to prepare for them with regulations that protect these species rather than overfishing them.  They are here due to sudden geographic shifts due to warming water and changing ocean conditions. 

We do not want to get into a position (like cod) where we overfish them to the brink of extinction.  That means we need to fund NOAA Fisheries to stay on top of things as conditions change on the water with frequent stock assessments and research to identify changing conditions so we can prepare.

Additionally, we have negative fish impacts occurring such as poor spawning and reduced biomass of species like striped bass and others we are just learning about.  We need to find out why.

One of the biggest things we can do as a nation is work on the root cause of changing ocean conditions, greenhouse gases.

I listened to a Feb. 13, 2026, CBS news interview with Lee Zeldin, head of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), defending his and President Trump’s decision to revoke the ‘endangerment finding’ on greenhouse gases.  Mr. Zeldin said, “The research used in 2009 is not correct today, they used the worst-case climate change scenario data, and today things are not that bad, so the data was false and that is why the ‘endangerment finding’ was revoked.”

However, restrictions on greenhouse gases since 2009 have worked, our air in the United States is cleaner today.  Thanks to the ‘endangerment finding’, enacted in 2009, greenhouse gases including carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide, have declined dramatically by over a billion tonnes (see Our World in Data at Greenhouse gas emissions - Our World in Data).

Without the ‘endangerment finding’, the EPA has no authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions in automobiles, oil and gas production and manufacturing.

An increase in greenhouse gases has caused the earth and ocean water to warm and the fish have been impacted.  You can hardly talk about a species that is not being impacted in some way.  Most of these fish impacts are being created by warming water, sea level rise, ocean acidification, habitat degradation, more severe storms and other impacts all created by greenhouse gases and a warming earth and ocean.

As a charter captain I have had to cancel fifteen to twenty percent more fishing trips due to bad weather than I did ten years ago, proof to me that storms are more frequent and more severe. 

Changing ocean conditions have impacted winter flounder and lobster, leaving our area for colder/deeper water. The scup and black sea bass biomass (never here when I was a child) have moved up the coast because of warm water.  Exotic warm water fish like mahi, tarpon, and cobia are being caught in Southern New England, and there have been enhanced whale strikes.  Whales are closer to shore more than ever before coming in contact with humans and vessel shipping lanes as well as entanglements in fixed fishing gear.  They are feeding close to shore vying for the food and fish they like to eat brought here in part by warming water.  Sharks, tuna to 800 plus pounds and other large animals are being caught just a mile or two off our shores too.

These and other impacts on the fish we love to catch, eat and/or release are created by these changing ocean conditions being created by greenhouse gases.  Greenhouse gases prevent the sun’s heat from escaping our earth.  The earth, air and ocean have absorbed a lot of this heat and is creating all these harmful conditions.

Visit the University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography Sea Grant Baird Symposium video on ‘Climate impacts of recreational fishing and boating.’

This is very bad news as changing ocean conditions created by greenhouse gases and their impact on fish, habitat and ocean waters will continue to worsen without regulation.  In some cases, impacts may be irreversible with spawning being impacted by conditions in a negative fashion as well.

Simply put, the ‘endangerment finding’, said that climate warming gases from power plants and vehicles caused major damage to our environment while harming health conditions such as asthma and causing premature deaths. 

In a New Republic article Thursday, author Malcolm Fugerson said, “Less pollution and emissions oversight will only expedite the negative impacts of climate change that we’ve already experienced. “

“This decision prioritizes the profits of big oil and gas companies and polluters over clean air and water, the health of kids and all people, and the progress we’ve made to respond to climate change,” Medical Society Consortium on Climate and Health head Lisa Patel told Axios. 

In Rhode Island, Terry Gray, Director of the Department of Environmental Management (DEM), said, “Despite overwhelming opposition from state and local leaders nationwide, the Trump administration’s actions depart from well-established scientific consensus and substantially weaken the federal government’s authority to regulate harmful emissions, rolling back longstanding public health safeguards and vehicle emissions standards.” 

“Allowing greenhouse gas emissions to go unchecked exacerbates the climate and public health challenges communities are already experiencing. Rhode Island remains committed to protecting the health, safety, and well-being of its residents. We will continue to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the state and prepare for the impacts of climate change that we are already seeing in the form of sea level rise, storm surge, and more frequent and intense weather events,” said Gray.

Environment, climate, health and fish advocates immediately condemned the repeal, relating that it would lead to increased pollution and a rise in planet-warming greenhouse gases. Lawsuits will likely follow this Executive Order decision.

As anglers we need to advocate to get this changed as it will most definitely impact fish, habitat and our fishing economy in a negative way.  Additionally, we need to fund NOAA Fisheries research, stock assessments, habitat preservation and data collection initiatives to make sure we stay on top of exponential changes occurring on the water.

Where’s the bite

Freshwater ice fishing is the only fishing occurring. Check with local cities and towns to find out if ice is safe to fish or skate on. For license and trout stocking information in Rhode Island visit www.dem.ri.gov/fishing; and in Massachusetts visit www.mass.gov/service-details/trout-stocking-report.

Dave Monti holds a captain’s master license and charter fishing license. He serves on a variety of boards and commissions and has a consulting business focusing on clean oceans, habitat preservation, conservation, renewable energy, and fisheries related issues. Forward fishing news and photos to dmontifish@verizon.net, visit www.noflukefishing.blogspot.com or www.noflukefishing.com .