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The Department is filing emergency regulations today at 12 noon concerning
the daily take of menhaden. The coast-wide bait situation appears to have
stimulated a greater interest in the migratory population currently within
Narragansett Bay by both Rhode Island and non-Rhode Island fishers. DEM remains
convinced that of the overall abundance and health of the fishery is not
immediately threatened. However, over the last few weeks, our monitoring
efforts indicate a rapid decrease in the menhaden populations migrating into the
Bay. Approximately 8M pounds of menhaden made the move into the Bay this year
and approximately 6M pounds remain at this time. Foraging species and bait
harvest have caused the 2M pound difference. We continue to monitor industry
interest concerning the greater harvest pressure on the Rhode Island fishery.
We have also confirmed activities by non-Rhode Island fishers who have moved
into the Bay. We are setting a daily harvest limit to 75,000 pounds for
commercial fishers and affixing a ‘hard cap’ of 4M pounds, which needs to remain
in the bay and available to foraging striped bass to provide a balanced ecosystem.
We believe the proposed actions are prudent and scientifically based,
providing essential Bay and fishery health protection.
Regards,
W. Michael Sullivan, Ph.D.
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