Fight over small fish causes big uproar in Rhode Island

[Sam]

[Sam]

Rhode Island might soon follow the lead of Connecticut and several other East Coast states in trying to protect the menhaden, a member of the herring family.


The fish is usually prized more for fertilizer and oil than for human consumption. Now, Rhode Island lawmakers want to ban netting the fish in Narragansett Bay.
Recreational fishermen think a ban will help rebuild stocks of striped bass, one of the fish that feed on menhaden. But lobstermen say a ban could hurt their business because they use menhaden to bait their traps.

[Sam]

A proposal in Rhode Island’s General Assembly to ban netting the fish in Narragansett Bay is pitting recreational fishermen who believe a ban will help rebuild stocks of striped bass against lobstermen who use menhaden to bait their traps.

The bill being considered by lawmakers would ban boats from using purse seines, or giant nets, to scoop up thousands of menhaden at a time for sale as bait. At least seven states on the Atlantic coast already have taken similar steps, including New Hampshire and Connecticut in New England.