Atlantic Menhaden Advisory Panel Says NO to a Healthier Narragansett Bay

In a proposal letter to the Atlantic Menhaden Advisory Panel, Tom Kutcher, Narragansett Baykeeper for Save the Bay, said, “We urge you to recommend that the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management ban the commercial purse seine fishery for Menhaden in Rhode Island State waters. 

The proposal recommend to the RIMFC and the Director of DEM that these changes are implemented before the 2014 season.”

Even though the proposal went on to outline the multiple benefits of leaving the Menhaden in a somewhat enclosed bay like Narragansett:

• Provide including direct forage for a variety of bay species
• How they are an integral component in the food web, 
• How spawning stock is critical to RI 
• How menhaden can remove substantial nitrogen from Bay waters (detritus or dead organic material is constantly floating through the bay to the ocean).
• An adult menhaden can filter up to four gallons a minute.  Purging particles that cause turbidity, this filtering cleans the water, allowing sunlight to penetrate and encourage the growth of plants that release oxygen and provide a healthy habitat for fish and shellfish.

The AP panel voted status quo, which meant they did not approve the ban on purse seine fishing in state waters. Panel members expressed their satisfaction with the Narragansett Bay management area plan which features regular airplane and helicopter monitoring.

AP panel members said the program also includes restrictions on industry that have been effective in striking a balance between user groups for the past three years. Regulations for the past three years have included closing purse seine fishing north of Conimicut Point up the Providence River as well as in western Greenwich Bay. 

Purse Seine fishery for Menhaden in Narragansett Bay - The Real Truth

The purse seine fishing provides little to no benefit to the public.

In fact, it delivers a net loss. for the last several years, a single purse seine participant has exploited RI waters in Narragansett Bay and has landed its catch in Massachusetts.

The gains to the State of RI from licensing fees total about $300 for this company to remove, from YOUR bay, up to 120,000 lbs DAILY. 

For this small fee, this fishery has been granted the right to reduce the nutrient removal benefits provided by menhaden, weaken a recreational fishery that contributes nearly $180 million and 1,200 jobs to the RI economy, and directly diminish the ASMFC allocation available to RI recreational and commercial fisherman to only 78,000 lbs. of menhaden yearly (a result of the company fishing in Narragansett Bay and landing in Ma.

The law states "Rhode Island has historically managed its fisheries for the benefit of the people of the state, as an ecological asset, and as a source of food, income, and recreation". the current menhaden purse seine regulations do not effectively promote those benefits, and in fact, harm several.

In my opinion the baitfish situation is not good.  Just about all the big bait (menhaden, mullet and herring) were in decline last year. I saw no peanut bunker at all this past year. The last good run of peanut bunker (baby menhaden) was about 5-7 years ago along Barrington Beach. NO BAIT NO FISH!!!!

Get involved and let your public officials know how important a cleaner, healthier Narragansett Bay is to you! Thanks for listening...