Striped bass center stage at Council meeting

The Rhode Island Marine Fisheries Council (RIMFC) met March 2 to make recreational and commercial fishing regulation recommendations to the Department of Environmental Management (DEM) for the 2020 fishing season. It is important to note that the DEM Director (Janet Coit) takes council recommendations, public comments and input from the Marine Affairs Division into consideration when making her final decisions.

At press time final regulations have not been made, the hope is we have them by month’s end. About 95 percent of RIMFC decisions are made state fishing law by the Director.

Many of the regulations the Council recommended this year had very little wiggle room or little state of RI discretion as harvest limits were established by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) that manges fish coastwide in state waters 0 to 3 miles from shore. 

Scup, black sea bass and summer flounder (fluke). According to the Marine Recreational Information Program (MRIP) that provides data for the establishment of recreational harvest estimates and limits, they now have more robust recreational data. Better data has been obtained through a change in methodology… the use of mail surveys to homes and an enhanced number of intercept surveys at docks, boat ramps and on charter and party boats.

The new data indicates recreational anglers have been harvesting a lot more than fish mangers thought. In some cases twice as many are being harvested than originally thought. The more robust data will likely lead to more restrictive harvest limits, but this year NOAA gave the ASMFC a pass until they review and possibly adjust allocations which will impact harvest limits in a negative or positive way for the 2021 fishing season.

NOAA has given the Commission a pass on scup, black sea bass and summer flounder for 2020 as long as regulations remain status quo (the same regulations as last year). Here are the Council’s status quo recommendations:
Summer flounder: six fish/person/day, 19” minimum size, May 3 to Dec. 31, in ‘special’ shore locations two fish of the allowed limit can be 17”. Visit www.dem.ri.gov for a list of ‘special’ areas.

Black sea bass: three fish/person/day June 24 through August 31 and seven fish/person/day September 1 through December 31, 15” minimum size.

Scup: 30 fish/person/day, 9” minimum in ‘special’ shore areas an 8” fish is allowed.

Bluefish regulations were handed down to states from the ASMFC as bluefish are overfished and overfishing is occurring. The new regulation is three fish/person/day for private anglers, and five fish/angler/day for party and charter boar customers. No minimum sizes allows for a snapper blue fishery, however, it is still three fish per angler (child or adult). Last week similar bluefish regulations were announced for federal waters (3 to 200 miles offshore).

Striped bass. The council voted to recommend a controversial conservation equivalency proposal of a 30” to < 40” slot for party and charter boats and a more restrictive slot of 32” to < 40” for private anglers.

The Rhode Island Saltwater Anglers Association and many private anglers coastwide supported the same regulation adopted by our neighboring states of CT, MA and NY… one fish/person/day at a slot size of 28” to < 35”. This is the preferred option approved by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission.

Rhode Island worked hard to get a larger fish for the party & charter boat industry though ‘conservation equivalency’ rule that allows states to break from coast wide recommendations. Nicole Lengyel Costa, DEM Marine Principal Biologist, said at the Council meeting, “Conservation equivalency proposals look good on paper as they must meet or surpass proposed harvest reductions.” However, conservation equivalency has proven to fail in reality and there are no consequences when they do fail. In 2018 the State of Maryland’s overfished their conservation equivalency striped bass limit by 215 percent.
Dan McKiernan, acting director of the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries, sent a public letter to Jason McNamee, RI Resources Deputy Director, asking that Rhode Island not approve striped bass conservation equivalency options. McNamee said DEM received a second similar letter from Connecticut but missed the comment deadline so it was not shared with Council members and the public.

McKiernan said, RI conservation equivalency “Alternatives would erode the conservation benefit of slot limit management in our region given how striped bass migrate between states.”

“Striped bass 35” to 40” in length protected in ME–MA and CT–NY, will be open to harvest in RI; while fish 28”to 32” (or 28” to 30”) length protected in RI, will be open to harvest in ME–MA and CT–NY… the projected reduction in removals associated with Rhode Island’s conservation equivalency options will not be realized,” said McKiernan. Law enforcement in RI and the region said they oppose different coastwide regulations too.

The council supported the conservation equivalence option so it is up to DEM to take the public, council and department’s input, and decided what’s best the fish, Rhode Island and the region.

Public comments: A request was made by a commercial horseshoe crab fishermen to revisit horseshoe crab regulations as they have not been reviewed in recent years. Jason McNamee said, “We will put horseshoe crabs on the agenda to be addressed in a workshop in the near future.”

Saltwater fishing license annual report. The RI Marine Fisheries Council recommended for approval DEM’s RI Saltwater Recreational Fishing License Program annual report. The report provides an overview of the license program including the number of licenses purchased and funds raised, how funds were spent in 2019 and the plans and initiatives planned for 2020.

Highlights of this year’s report include the second highest totals since the program started in 2011 with 48,737 licenses issued in Rhode Island in Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 and gross revenue of $324,817. It is important to note that state funds are spent with a three to one federal government match through US Fish and Wildlife Service Sport Fish Restoration Program funds.

Commercial license legislative re-structuring initiative was also reviewed via a DEM white paper on the subject. The aim of the initiative is to streamline and improve the commercial fisheries licensing program.

Quahog week. Council chair Bob Ballou announced that Quahog Week will be held once again this year March 23 to March 29, 2020. Restaurant and fish markets throughout the state are expected to participate with daily quahog specials. For information visit www.seafoodri.org.

Meeting minutes and videos of RIMFC March 2 meetings will be posted on their website at www.dem.ri.gov.    

Where’s the Bite

Freshwater. With the warm weather many anglers have been venturing out to freshwater fish. The trout and salmon fishing season is closed in Rhode Island until opening day, Saturday, April 8. In fact, fishing for anything in officially designated ‘trout waters’ is prohibited.  Visit http://www.dem.ri.gov/pubs/regs/regs/fishwild/fish1819.pdf for a list of prohibited pounds and other regulations. John Littlefield of Archie’s Bait & Tackle, Riverside said, “It was about 50/50 this week with half of the anglers buying worms and the second half purchased shiners to freshwater fish for large and smallmouth bass and pickerel.”

Saltwater. With improvements in weather cod boats should be getting out this week. Vessels did not sail last week. Party boats sailing for cod include the Frances Fleet at www.francesfleet.com, the Seven B’s at www.sevenbs.com, and the Island Current at www.islandcurrent.com.

Dave Monti 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, the American Saltwater Guides Association and the RI Marine Fisheries Council. Forward fishing news and photos to Capt. Dave at dmontifish@verizon.net or visit www.noflukefishing.com and his blog at www.noflukefishing.blogspot.com.