They’re Hee-ere! Early Influx of Menhaden Positive Sign

By Chip Young

Narragansett Bay undergoing significant changes

Twenty-four million menhaden.  Say it again: Twenty-four million.

That’s a lot of anything—M&Ms, paper clips, pennies—never mind fish.

But that’s how many menhaden, a prized baitfish, there are right now in Narragansett Bay, predominantly in the Upper Bay and Providence River.  The average size of the fish is just about one pound.  The estimate is based on net surveys and aerial flyovers by Department of Environmental Management fisheries scientists who are part of the Bay Window Monitoring Partnership.  Said one of the DEM researchers who did the aerial reconnaissance, “It’s harder to find water where there isn’t menhaden than where there is.”

Early readings from the Bay Window program, a partnership of state and federal agencies and academia that provides a ongoing broad data-gathering, research and assessment of the health of Narragansett Bay, indicate positive signs in the Bay fisheries to date this year, while the warming of the Bay and incidences of low oxygen levels in the Upper Bay remain an area which needs constant oversight. (Full disclosure: I am a member of the Bay Window project’s steering committee, so at least I know of what I speak, but the scientists do have to speak slowly when they explain things to me.)

That 24 million total is nearly double that at this time in 2007, a year which drew all sorts of public attention as the fish were sighted in large numbers well up into the Upper Bay and Providence River.  This is very good news on many fronts, as the current location of the fish in Upper Bay areas is helping to greatly reduce high-rising fuel costs for commercial fishing boats going after the desirable bait.  It is also encouraging for the rest of the summer, because menhaden are an important fish for other food supplies, and they are bringing striped bass and bluefish into Bay after them, as in 2007, which was a tremendous season for recreational fishermen. The size of some of the stripers being caught this year in the Bay are enough to make experienced eyes pop.

On other fronts in Narragansett Bay, warming and climate change have been a growing concerns in recent years, as they have many wide-ranging impacts. The average Bay temperature is up 2 degrees Fahrenheit in the past 20 years, winter average temperature is up 4 degrees F, and the Bay is moving towards becoming like a southern estuary—think the Carolinas.  This will not only affect fisheries, but is a major catalyst for possible fish kills, because warm temperatures are a contributor to a of lack of oxygen for marine life, which becomes depleted in part due to large nutrient loadings. 

The Bay Window partners had accurately predicted from its past timeline of research information and that summer’s data the infamous 2003 fish kill in Greenwich Bay, which sparked a concerted state and federal effort to pinpoint the causes of the event and take management steps to avoid a repetition in the future.  Rhode Island is investing millions of dollars into upgrading wastewater treatment plants and increasing storm drain protection to reduce nutrient loadings, a $400 million investment in mitigation in Upper Bay alone.

The Bay Window ongoing surveys and monitoring show that the Narragansett Bay quahog population remains stable compared to 2007, which is an encouraging environmental and economic sign. An abundance of clams is a valuable indicator of good Bay health.  It is believed that a combination of management area actions and use of spawner sanctuaries, and fewer rainfall closures and quahoggers, has contributed to this stability.  This is encouraging for shellfishermen, but rainy days mean shellfish closures, so hopes remain for a dry summer.  But overall in recent years, shellfish closures are flattening out, which scientists see as a good sign for all involved.

The Bay Window monitoring has been funded since 1997 thanks to the efforts of Rhode Island Congressional delegation, who came through last year with $916,000 in federal funds for the 2008 program, a real coup in these bleak budget days. 

For information on Bay Window and its data, people are encouraged to go to: Bay Window, which is designed to serve as a clearinghouse for scientific and general information on Narragansett Bay.

Meanwhile, here is a quick snapshot of what is being seen as emerging trends out in Narragansett Bay heading into the summer of 2008:

EMERGING TRENDS IN NARRAGANSETT BAY - 2008

OVERALL:  The picture is good to date.  Narragansett Bay is holding steady if not improving with its fish populations, it’s just that the species have changed.  Where most of the fish used to be bottom dwellers in the past (1980s - e.g., winter flounder), they are now those that swim in the water column (scup, menhaden).  That is likely to be the case as long as low oxygen levels in upper Bay and climate change (Bay water warming) continue.

Change from bottom-dwelling to water column fish has commercial and recreational impacts.  Winter flounder (once so abundant they were “the first fish you caught in the spring and the last fish you caught in the fall”) are no longer there for fishermen, commercial or recreational.  This has an economic impact, as winter flounder are worth $2 per pound to commercial fishermen, while menhaden and scup only get $0.10 to $0.75 per pound

BAY WARMING:  Yes, that’s climate change, and we are seeing it in Narragansett Bay.  Average Bay temperature is up 2 degrees Fahrenheit in past 20 years, winter average temperature is up 4 degrees F, and we are moving towards becoming like a southern (South Carolina, Georgia) estuary.  This will not only affect fisheries, but is a big catalyst for possible fish kills, because of lack of oxygen which gets depleted due to large nutrient loadings.  Rhode Island is investing millions of dollars into upgrading wastewater treatment plants and increasing storm drain protection to reduce nutrient loadings ($400M investment in mitigation in Upper Bay alone)—all actions driven by Bay Window data on temperature, nutrient level and oxygen levels after disastrous 2003 Greenwich Bay fish kill, which scientists predicted down to the actual date, but could do nothing about at that time.  That is why new management actions were immediately begun.  The state cannot eliminate or predict the possibility of a major fish kill (minor ones are the norm every year) at this point due to the number of variables involved. 

MENHADEN: Combined with last year’s abundance, the 24 million menhaden seen in Narragansett Bay at this point provides a good feeling that this shows improved water quality, and their presence also contributes to a healthy ecosystem which can be appreciated by non-consumptive users, conservationists, and the general public. Menhaden are also in the Bay early as in 2007, and that effects commercial fisheries movement. The location of the fish (Upper Bay areas) is helping greatly with fuel costs for recreational and commercial boaters alike.  It is also good sign because menhaden are an important fish for other food supplies, and they are bringing striped bass and bluefish into Bay after them, like last year, which was a tremendous season for recreational fishermen.

QUAHOGS: The population remains stable compared to 2007, which is an encouraging environmental and economic sign. Abundance of quahogs is an indicator of good Bay health.  This is encouraging for shellfishermen, but rainy days mean shellfish closures, so you hope for a dry summer.  But overall over recent years, shellfish closures are flattening out, a good sign for all involved.

LOBSTERS AND OTHER FISH TO DATE:  Looking up.  Trawl survey in June 2008 provided a mixed bag of highs and lows.  But mostly highs. Lobster, winter flounder, summer flounder, sea herring, scup, and squid numbers were up compared to June of 2007, with sea herring and scup up considerably. 

UP TO THE MINUTE INFO:  Overall, all species of recreational (and commercial) importance are present throughout Rhode Island coastal waters, with the Sakonnet River offering the widest diversity of both predator (stripers, bluefish) and prey (menhaden, scup) species.  Time to get the rod and reel out.