September 18, 2013 — The Atlantic menhaden advisory panel of the Rhode Island Marine Fisheries Council recommended that fish managers leave a small amount of fish in the state's quota (13 percent) to ensure that commercial fishermen on small boats can continue to fish throughout the spring and summer seasons.
These small boat fishermen supply bait shops with menhaden to use as bait for striped bass. The council voted to approve recommending that director Janet Coit establish a set-aside for this fishery.
The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission established Rhode Island's quota at a very low level, 78,000 pounds, based on historical landings in Rhode Island — not fish caught in Rhode Island. However, the DEM's Narragansett Bay Atlantic Menhaden Management Area monitoring program (one of the best in the nation) has determined that millions of pounds of menhaden are caught in Rhode Island but landed in Massachusetts. The advisory panel has recommended that Rhode Island's marine fisheries commission members advocate for an increase in quota based on this catch data.
"The Council went against DEM staff recommendations and sided with the Menhaden advisory panel to recommend to the director that we set aside 13 percent of the menhaden quota for small boats to take as bait," said the council's vice chairman, Rich Hittinger, who is also vice president of the Rhode Island Saltwater Anglers Association.