You can help plan a healthier Bay
You can help shape the next decade of planning for a healthier Narragansett Bay region by taking a quick survey.
Every 10 years, the Narragansett Bay Estuary Program, a conservation nonprofit organization, brings together folks across Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut to create a new 10-year plan for the region.
“If you live, work, or play in the Narragansett Bay region, fill out a brief online survey and your input will be used to help develop our next plan, Vision 2032,” said Michael Gerel, the program’s director. Surveys are needed from those in the 113 cities and towns that lie in the Narragansett Bay region. Visit the Narragansett Bay Estuary Program for a list of communities in the area — it’s all of Rhode Island and parts of Connecticut and Massachusetts.
Vision 2032 is a growing partnership that is working toward a shared vision for water, wildlife and habitat, and for quality of life in the Bay region over the next decade.
To learn more about Vision 2032, check out vision2032.org. You may take the survey (English or Spanish) at https://vision2032.org/get-involved/individual-input-form.
Dealing with climate impacts
I had the privilege of attending another Lenfest Ocean Program workshop last week on climate-ready fisheries. The workshop focused on new research being done to evaluate fish management’s adaptive capacity to enhance climate-resilient fisheries.
Climate change influences multiple components of fisheries management and, in the long term, managers must incorporate information that will increase the fisheries’ capacities to adapt to changing conditions. Adaptive capacity refers to a fishery’s ability to cope with change while continuing to deliver its desired social, ecological and economic outcomes.
Managers are using vulnerability assessments to understand at-risk fisheries and take appropriate action. A full vulnerability assessment evaluates exposure to a novel stressor such as increasing ocean temperature; the consequences of that stressor, whether or not the species range shifts as a result of increasing temperature; and the ability to cope with those consequences, or adaptive capacity, such as adopting management measures to cope with a range shift.
Tim Essington of the University of Washington is leading a team of scientists that seeks to understand how adaptive capacity applies to U.S. fisheries management. The team collaborate with key managers and stakeholders to design a research agenda, formulate a survey, and analyze and interpret results.
To learn more, follow Lenfest on Twitter @lenfestocean or sign up for their newsletter at www.lenfestocean.org.
Where’s the bite?
Striped bass/bluefish. “The striped bass bite was outstanding at the Southwest side of Block Island this week,” said Elisa Cahill of Snug Harbor Marina in South Kingstown. “Bass were on the surface with anglers using top-water lures. The island is loaded with sand eels, so umbrella rigs that mimic sand eels are working, too.” Expert Rhode Island saltwater fly fisher and guide Ed Lombardo reported: “We fished the Narrow River [Narragansett] last week three times. All three days produced some nice bass, anywhere from 10 inches to 24 inches, and many were fresh from the ocean with sea lice attached to them. Fished the incoming tide on Sunday. This time of the year, we find that the cooler sea water brings in the bass. This year so far, the bait has been almost nonexistent. We are not seeing much bait at all; hopefully this will change. My shrimp fly in dark brown has been working very well. I find that during June, dark brown flies work very well.” “East End” Eddie Doherty said: “The west end of the Cape Cod Canal was a surfcaster’s paradise Monday as striped bass exploded on the surface, chasing a huge tightly packed school of menhaden [bunker] in from Buzzards Bay. Several stripers in the 30-pound class were caught at every level of the water column and some fish measured over 50 inches. The white Sebile Magic Swimmer was credited with many catches.”
Scup/black sea bass/fluke. The scup and black sea bass bite continues to be good in Buzzards Bay. Although open in Massachusetts, the black sea bass season does not open until June 24 in Rhode Island. Timing is everything. Things were good for fluke anglers [last] week if conditions were right — wind and tide in line. Areas that produced keeper fluke include the East Grounds (3 miles east of Block Island), as well as areas off South County beaches, including Nebraska Shoals and The Five Cottages. Anglers were finding keeper fluke in 30 to 50 feet of water. “We decided to fish the west side of Block Island [last] weekend to get out of the east wind,” angler Mark Jacobs said. “Tide from the Race was ebbing and with the northeast wind, we made short drifts from 50 to 56 feet for about 90 minutes, boating a keeper and several shorts on each. I used homemade three-way rigs with an 8-ounce bean buck tail (needed to hold) and a 3-foot-long spinner teaser with long squid strips. It may be hard to reproduce the wind and tide conditions, given our prevailing winds. Caught five keepers, four over 22 inches, with the 27-incher being my personal best for quality.”
Squeteague (weakfish). The squeteague bite continues to be good in Greenwich Bay and off Warwick Neck.
Freshwater fishing in ponds recently stocked with trout is still good. Visit http://www.dem.ri.gov/programs/fish-wildlife/freshwater-fisheries/troutwaters.php for a complete list of trout-stocked ponds in Rhode Island. In Massachusetts, visit www.mass.gov/freshwater-fishing-information.
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 that focuses on clean oceans, habitat preservation, conservation, renewable energy and fisheries-related issues and clients. Forward fishing news and photos to [email protected] or visit www.noflukefishing.com.
