In a proposed rule released last week, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) argued that the Clean Air Act does not authorize the agency to set emissions standards to address global climate change. 

EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin announced that the agency aims to change the “endangerment finding,” a 2009 rule that is the legal linchpin supporting federal greenhouse-gas regulations.

We as fishers see the impacts of warming water, acidification, irregular spawning activity, sea level rise, habitat degradation and other climate impacts. Last week Buzzard’s Bay was 74.1 degrees and in Narragansett Bay the water temperature matched the warmest ever, 76.6 degrees. These warm temperatures slowed fishing dramatically  and in other areas warm water bait and large animals such as sharks, porpoise, and whales arrived closer to shore in greater abundance.

The fish we catch today are vastly different in type and abundance than fish caught 20 years ago. The climate impacts we are experiencing as fishers are created by greenhouse gases.

Last Thursday, Terrance Gary, Director of the Department of Environmental Management (DEM) and RI’s Executive Climate Change Coordinating Council said, “there is broad understanding that climate change is real and driven by greenhouse gases. Tuesday’s action by EPA to ignore well-established climate science and unilaterally declare that greenhouse gas emissions do not pose a danger is deeply concerning. We will continue to collaborate with local partners and other like-minded states to fill the leadership gap at the federal level to advance climate action and strengthen resilience.”

The fishing community needs to support Director Gray’s position and work with Regional and State partners to stem the tide on climate impacts and greenhouse gas emissions. If we do not, someday, we will have no fish to fish.

Not a speeding ticket, 

but a fishing ticket?

The RI Department of Environmental Management (DEM) Division of Marine Fisheries will hold a regulatory workshop on Monday, Aug. 25, 2025, 5 p.m. to solicit input regarding prospective amendments to the marine fisheries regulations.  

An agenda item of particular interest to the recreational fishing community will be penalties and the issuance of tickets for marine fisheries violations through the RI Traffic Tribunal. Historically fishing violators have been given low precedence in our court system as they are not violent crimes. However, marine fishery violations often do great harm to habitat and fish and have a great negative economic impact to our State. It is hoped that having the ability to assess penalties immediately via tickets will have a positive impact deterring potential violations.

The in-person meeting is at the URI Bay Campus, Corless Auditorium, 215 South Ferry Road, Narragansett, RI and to attend the meeting via Zoom the link is: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88671182163?pwd=LyeNib4flNQcAvtCKCi1f6M5hdRigS.1; meeting ID: 886 7118 2163; Passcode: 056068; dial in: 1-929-205-6099 (listen only).

Other agenda items include escape vent requirements for pots and traps other than lobster, black sea bass, and scup pots, catch accounting requirements at the point of sale as well as documentation requirements for a dealer’s fixed place of business.

For information contacts John Lake at john.lake@dem.ri.gov .

Where’s the bite?

Freshwater fishing in local ponds has been good but weedy. “Customers are catching largemouth bass at Silver Spring Lake and Ryan Park, both in North Kingstown. Anglers are using shiners to catch,” said Samual Costa of Quaker Lane Bait & Tackle, North Kingstown.

Striped bass, bluefish, and false albacore. “Ninigret Pond has seen more bait in the past week than any other time this summer with peanut bunker, silversides, killifish, snapper blues, and bay anchovies abundant and growing in size. The pond has been fishing pretty well for stripers and fluke. We’ve seen an increase in eelgrass floating around, fishing earlier in the tide seems to be a good way to avoid it. Fishing has slowed a little but still plenty of fish around if you work at them and learn their patterns. Still taking eels and when you can find tinker mackerel they seem to be preferred. Reports of bigger waves of bluefish along the south shore,” said Declan O’Donnell of Breachway Bait & Tackle, Charlestown. 

Costa of Quaker Lane Bait & Tackle, said, “The Bay has warmed and the fish have moved off Newport and Jamestown with a good bite at Block Island too.” 

Adrian Curcey of Cranston, when fishing Sunday with his grandfather Richard Hellwig, caught a 38” striped bass trolling tube & worm in front of Brenton Reef, Newport on my charter boat, we fished there Monday as well and did not hook up.  

East End Eddie Doherty, Cape Cod Canal fishing expert and author, said, “The Canal still has plenty of forage for predators including mackerel, squid, silversides and other rain bait. The breaking tides produced a slot last week and a few schoolies for hardcore surfcaster Joe ‘Green Gloves’ Moneghan who was working a Striper Gear Shaddy Daddy into the early east tide.”  

Ryan Turner of Watch Hill Outfitters, Westerly, said, “Due to the warm water the bass bite is on mostly at night. Anglers are hooking up at the reefs off Westerly but are losing at lot of fish before they get to the boat due to shark predation.”

Bluefin/yellowfin tuna, bonito, and mahi-mahi. Costa of Quaker Lane Bait & Tackle, said, “The jig bite is on for school bluefin tuna in the 40” range at Tuna Ridge and at the Gully.”  

Angler Jeff Sullivan of Lucky Bait & Tackle, Warren, said, “Caught a 90” large school bluefin using a jig just south of the wind farm on Cox Ledge earlier this week. There were large mahi there as well, particularly around lobster pots.”   

Anglers are catching small mahi and bonito in most of the wind farm areas off Rhode Island. Ryan Turner of Watch Hill Outfitters, said, “The jig tuna bite is on for customers south of Block Island.”

Summer flounder (fluke) fishing has not been spectacular. “The fluke bite at the Block Island Wind Farm has been pretty good with some fish caught recently in the Wickford, North Kingstown area,” said Costa of Quaker Lane. 

O’Donnel of Lucky Bait & Tackle, said, “Some notable fishing was done this past week around Block Island. Sometimes we get a good mid-august pickup on the fluke bite.”  

Turner of Watch Hill Outfitters said, “Still plenty of porgy, black sea bass and fluke around but there are a lot of shorts of everything. Have to work at it to get keepers.”

Dave Monti holds a captain’s master license and charter fishing license. He serves on a variety of boards and commissions and has a consulting business focusing on clean oceans, habitat preservation, conservation, renewable energy, and fisheries related issues. Forward fishing news and photos to dmontifish@verizon.net, visit www.noflukefishing.blogspot.com or www.noflukefishing.com .