Climate impacts make it difficult for NOAA to accurately measure fish populations

If overfishing of a fish stock continues unchecked with no strategies to rebuild, it will become overfished with a population size that is too low and jeopardizes the stock’s ability to produce a sustainable yield.

Today, prevailing environmental and fishery conditions are changing exponentially due to climate impacts. From warming waters to acidification, the climate crisis is fundamentally changing the ocean; these changes are jeopardizing the ability of fish to grow and thrive, in turn reducing fisheries’ productivity.

NOAA Fisheries this month released a 2023 Stock Status Report that can be the found on its website at fisheries.noaa.gov. Although some of the news in the report is encouraging, much more needs to be done.

The overfishing status is only known for 72% of stocks and the overfished status for 52%. That means hundreds of fish stocks have an unknown status. We need to improve data collection of unknown stocks so NOAA Fisheries can do its job.

According to the 2023 Stock Status Report, nearly a fifth of stocks remain overfished. The good news is that the number of overfished stocks decreased — 47 fish stocks, or 18% of all known U.S. stocks, are considered overfished. Some of our most iconic stocks, including Atlantic cod, have remained on the overfished list for years.

Despite recent fisheries progress, the U.S. still isn’t doing enough to keep up with climate change.

For more on this perspective, visit fisheriesforward.org/status-of-stocks.

Block Island Inshore Fishing Tournament set for July 27, 28

“Last year, the Block Island Inshore Fishing Tournament grew by more than 50 percent and this year we have enhanced it by holding it in loving memory of Wendy Northup,” said Capt. Chris Willi, tournament director and owner of Block Island Fish Works, a bait and tackle shop and charter fishing business.

The tournament will start at 5:30 a.m. Saturday, July 27, and end at noon Sunday, July 28. An "After Party" will be held at Capt. Nick’s Rock & Roll Bar on Block Island from 2 to 4 p.m. that Sunday with a brief tournament awards ceremony.

"When registering, online participants download our tournament app on their smartphone" Willi said. "When they want to make a tournament entry, they take a photo of their catch up against the tournament-supplied ruler and send their entry into the tournament electronically. So, it is not necessary to attend the ‘After Party’ to receive your tournament prize. Those attending the ‘After Party’ will get a chance to win one of 25 $100 tackle shop gift cards.”

Tournament entry fees are $150 per boat for up to four anglers, $35 per person for additional anglers and $35 for each shore angler.

“Thanks to the Block Island Wind Farm and Ørsted, as well as tackle shop cosponsors, we are able to donate 100 percent of tournament entry fees to the Block Island Fire Department and Rescue.”

The tournament will have $10,000 in cash cards, swag and sponsor prizes; features fluke, black sea bass, striped bass and bluefish with boat, shore, fly fishing, youth, team and photo divisions.

Participant bags can be picked up at one of seven sponsor locations, including Block Island Fish Works, Block Island; Ocean State Tackle, Providence; The Tackle Box, Warwick; Quaker Lane Bait & Tackle, Warwick; Lucky Bait & Tackle, Warren; Snug Harbor Marina, South Kingstown; and Watch Hill Outfitters, Westerly.

Register at BI Inshore Tourney | bi-fishworks (sandypointco.com).

Where’s the bite?

Freshwater fishing. “Freshwater fishing for largemouth has been very good," said Tom Giddings of the Tackle Box in Warwick. "One customer fishing Johnston Pond fished with minnows and hooked up with largemouth bass, a nice catfish and a very large golden-colored crappie. The trout bite has slowed a lot since opening day.”

Striped bass and bluefish. Anglers Shaina Boyle and her father, Gary Vandemoortele, caught five striped bass to 28 inches and bluefish to 30 inches in Greenwich Bay on Wednesday. The fish were caught in 7 to 10 feet of water trolling tube and worm at the bottom. No fish were found in the East Passage at Poppasquash Point, Bristol or at Warwick Neck. “There have been good-size fish moving through our waters," said Declan O’Donnell of Breachway Bait & Tackle in Charlestown. "Bass have been taking eels in Breachways especially at slack tide. Customers are reporting that the sizes have been mixed, with people catching fish from the low 20-inch range up to the low 40-inch range. The Worm Hatch continues.” Tom Olson of Ponaug Bait & Tackle in Warwick reported: “The striped bass bite is great throughout the Bay, with customers catching keeper fish with huge bluefish mixed in. We had a 40-inch striper taken from shore at Conimicut Point.” Angler Dave Gordon said: “Went out Saturday and was into some nice bass right away. Me and my son caught 12 to 15 nice bass to 37 inches, all on top water, all just north of Hope island to the mouth of EG bay.”

Tautog. “A customer caught a 6-pound tautog, his first keeper, at India Point Park in Providence this week," Henaujlt said. Giddings said: “Tautog fishing has been outstanding, with one angler catching three keeper tautog from the Rocky Point Fishing Pier earlier this week.”

“Squidfishing has been on and off from the shore and from boats in the Newport Bridge area with Capt. Brandon Hagopian reporting a good squid bite off Rhode Island’s southern coastal beaches,” Henault said.

Dave Monti holds a master captain’s 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 dmontifish@verizon.net or visit noflukefishing.com.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Climate impacts make it difficult to accurately measure our fish stocks