Fight over small fish causes big uproar in Rhode Island

[Sam]

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- The menhaden is a lowly fish. An ignoble member of the herring family, it sits near the bottom of the food chain and is prized more as fertilizer and oil than for the bony meat on its foot-long body.

But 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. At least seven states on the Atlantic coast have already taken similar steps, including New Hampshire and Connecticut in New England. 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. Recreational fishermen accuse these commercial boats of destroying a food source that sustains life in Narragansett Bay, and say menhaden improve the water quality by eating the plankton that cause toxic algae blooms.

Commercial fishermen say a ban dressed up as conservationism is really just a conflict over who gets to use Narragansett Bay, the watery center of Rhode Island. "They don't want us in the bay fishing, they don't want us sharing the fish," said Gerald Souza, owner of Ark Bait in Fall River, Mass., the only company now licensed to net menhaden in Rhode Island waters. The menhaden industry was worth $62 million nationwide in 2005, according to the last statistics available from the National Marine Fisheries Service. Menhaden live from Nova Scotia to Florida. After spawning in shelf waters, schools of young Atlantic menhaden drift into coastal estuaries like Narragansett Bay and grow. They leave by winter, generally migrating along the coastline.

Besides striped bass, bluefish, sea trout and tuna snack on menhaden from the sea while herons and eagles pluck them from the air. Scientists say getting a good menhaden count is difficult because the fish migrate so rapidly. The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, which regulates menhaden, reports that stocks are generally healthy, but it's preparing a study to detect local problem areas. Key environmental officials in Rhode Island see no crisis. "We're quite confident there are no major warning bells," said Robert Ballou, chief of staff of the Department of Environmental Management.

Still, one DEM analysis suggests that adult striped bass are leaner than before, which could mean they can't find enough menhaden to eat. That troubles Stephen Medeiros, president of the Rhode Island Saltwater Anglers Association. Rhode Island doesn't regulate how many menhaden can be caught for bait, and Medeiros' group has pushed regulators to change those rules over two decades without success. "There's always a stall," he said. "There's never a solution." Tired of waiting, Medeiros and his supporters are taking their case directly to lawmakers and applying pressure. In just six days, they gathered more than 11,000 signatures on a petition supporting the ban.

Lobstermen like Dennis Ingram, who fishes out of Newport, call that tactic an unfair shortcut. He says fishing policy should be set by dedicated regulatory bodies that include fishermen and scientists, not at the Statehouse. "In my mind, it's a fish grab more than anything," he said. "It's a user conflict." Ingram said he worries lobstermen will get pinched in the wallet if the bill passes. He uses five types of fish as bait. All except menhaden are considered overfished and subject to catch limits, which cut down on supply and can drive up prices. In 2002, Ingram spent $14,000 on bait, he said. Four years later, that amount more than doubled to $30,000.

"That all comes from my profit," he said. "If they get away with this, we'll be an endangered species." Worried about their bottom line, the lobstermen have pressured their own allies in the General Assembly. Both sides say they're willing to compromise rather than have the General Assembly impose a solution that neither side will like. Medeiros, of the anglers association, said he wants a cap on menhaden fishing, or at least restrictions that guarantee more menhaden will survive. Souza says his bait company is willing to consider ceding some of the bay to recreational fishermen, as it has done in the past.

The environmental group Save the Bay is helping to broker a possible compromise. John Torgan of the group said he was hopeful they could come up with a solution before House and Senate committees take action on the menhaden bills.
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[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.