Volume 5, 5, Issue Issue 3 3 SummerSummer 2012 2012 WildWild Rhode Rhode Island Island A Quarterly Publication from the Division of Fish and Wildlife, RI Department of Environmental Management The Narragansett Bay Tautog Fishery by Jason McNamee Jack McNamee with an October Tautog (Tautoga onitis) are a stout, Cooper, 1967; Lynch, 1993). keeper. medium sized fish species that seasonally The current coastwide stock status of migrates into Narragansett Bay during the tautog is that the stock is overfished spring to spawn. They migrate in from their (ASMFC 2011). The term “overfished” overwintering locations off of the Rhode means that the number of fish currently Island coast, and tagging studies indicate existing in the population is not enough to that they never venture too far from state ensure that the population is sustainable, waters. Tautog (also called blackfish or or that there are enough fish to produce a tog) are one of the few species that reside population of equal or greater size in the almost their entire lives in and around following years. The term “overfishing is state waters, making them a truly local occurring” means that fishery removals species. Tautog play a very important role are higher than a level that will allow the in Narragansett Bay’s ecosystem by serv- population size to grow and to remain at ing as an important predator on many spe- sustainable levels. Due to this finding the cies of shellfish and crustaceans such as states are working collaboratively through blue mussels and green crabs. Once the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Com- tautog have completed their spawning mission (ASMFC) to address these con- cycle, they begin to seek out their pre- cerns. One important difference for tautog, ferred habitat; structures such as rocky which is a very unique circumstance rela- Photo: D. Costa reefs and shipwrecks, (Chenoweth, 1963; tive to how other fisher- Continued on page 3 American Shad Restoration by Phil Edwards Inside this issue: Between 1975 and 1985 the Division Tommy Thompson with an American shad stocked over 24,000 adult American shad at the Potter Hill Fishway. from the Connecticut River to the Pawcat- uck River in an effort to restore American American 4-5 shad populations. Throughout the 1980s Woodcock and 1990s the stocking efforts paid off with large numbers of American shad returning each spring to the Pawcatuck River. Trans- Women’s Day 6 planting of shad was discontinued in 1985, at the Range and the Pawcatuck River shad populations were considered self-sustaining. As with Rhode Island river herring stocks, the American shad numbers on the Pawcatuck Kid’s Corner 7 River began to decline in the early 2000s and have been at low levels since 2005. In an attempt to supplement the existing di- minished American shad returns to the Spring 8 Pawcatuck River, the Division began re- stocking adult shad in 2009 and initiated a Calendar fry stocking program in 2010. Since 2009, the Continued on page 2 Photo: C. Satchwill The Division of Fish and Wildlife Mission Statement Our mission is to ensure that the Freshwater, Marine and Wildlife resources of the State of Rhode Island will be conserved and managed for equitable and sustainable use. Page 2 Wild Rhode Island American Shad Restoration by Phil Edwards cont. from page 1 Loading adult American shad at the Holyoke Fish lift on the Connecticut River. Janet Coit, Director Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management Larry Mouradjian, Associate Director, Bureau of Natural Resources Wild Rhode Island is a quarterly publication of the Rhode Island Photo: P. McGee Department of Environmental Management Division of Fish Connecticut River Atlantic Salmon Commis- hatching tanks. After hatching, the fry are and Wildlife. Printing is sup- sion has allocated adult American shad marked, the hatching tanks are placed on a ported by the Aquatic Resource broodstock from the Connecticut River to trailer by a fork lift, and the fry are trans- Education program (Federal Aid Rhode Island Fish & Wildlife for release into planted to the Pawcatuck River. During the Grant F-42-E). the Pawcatuck River. Each spring, Division transfer the USFWS hatchery staff circulates staff transplant shad from the Holyoke fish water from the Pawcatuck River into the lift to the Pawcatuck River. The fish lift is flow through hatching tanks to acclimate Publisher: Kimberly Sullivan, operated throughout the day and fish lift the water temperatures. After about 20 Principal Fisheries Biologist, personnel sort the shad into a holding tank. minutes of mixing the water, the fry are re- ARE Coordinator As tank trucks arrive, the shad are released leased into the Pawcatuck River. Typically, from the holding tanks into the tank trucks the fry are released at about 10 to 14 days Editor: Veronica Masson, via a chute. The 1,000 gallon tank truck has old when they are approximately 10 to Principal Fisheries Biologist pumps that circulate the water, dissolved 12mm in length. Throughout the summer, oxygen diffusers, and is treated with a salt the fry feed and grow in the Pawcatuck mixture prior to loading water. The adults River, becoming imprinted to the new sys- For a free subscription to Wild are transported in the tank truck and re- tem. Rhode Island please call (401) leased into the Pawcatuck River, where they In addition to the shad stocking activi- 789-0281 or send an email to spawn. The eggs hatch in 10 to 14 days ties, RIDEM has worked with WPWA, NOAA, [email protected]. and the fry from the newly hatched eggs are and numerous other partners on Pawcatuck Please indicate whether you now imprinted to the Pawcatuck River sys- River fish passage projects that benefit would like to have the newslet- tem. The juvenile shad spend the summer American shad by allowing them access to ter sent to you via email or US in the Pawcatuck River and exit to marine previously blocked spawning and nursery mail. waters in the fall. After three to five years in habitat. Both of the American shad restora- the ocean, the adults return to the Pawcat- tion stocking activities described above are uck River to spawn and repeat the cycle. Wild Rhode Island is also planned for the Pawcatuck River in 2012 In 2010, the Division partnered with and in future years. Currently there are nu- available on the web at: USFWS North Attleboro Fish Hatchery and merous new anadromous fish restoration www.dem.ri.gov began an American shad fry stocking pro- projects being constructed throughout the gram. In the spring, adult shad are trans- state and include the construction of new To report an environmental ported to the hatchery where they swim and fishways and dam removals. Therefore, the emergency or violation please call spawn naturally in large holding tanks and Division anticipates expanding the American the RIDEM the fertilized eggs are collected by an egg shad restoration stocking programs to other Division of Law Enforcement collection device. The live shad eggs are Rhode Island river systems in the near fu- (401) 222-3070 sorted, cleaned, and then held in outside ture. Volume 5, Issue 3 Page 3 The Narragansett Bay Tautog Fishery by Jason McNamee continued from page 1 ies are managed, is that Rhode Island and Massachusetts are authorized to run a regional stock assessment. This as- sessment uses the same protocol and software as the coast- wide assessment, but only uses RI and MA data in the analy- sis. There are several reasons for running this regional as- sessment, including the instate migration patterns already mentioned, similarities in the fisheries between RI and MA, and similarities in the regulations governing the fisheries in these two states. The findings of this local assess- ment are different than the coastwide assess- A tautog opercula with annual rings. ment. In the regional assessment overfishing is not occurring, but even given this, the stock is still Image: NOAA considered to be in an overfished state. Because of a number of proactive regulatory changes in tautog during the fall at many different recent years by RI and MA, including a complete sizes in an effort to get a full sample of the closure of the fishery during the majority of the Annual size at age information for this species. spawning season in RI, RI and MA were not re- rings This age-length information is then used to quired to make any major changes to their man- calculate the age of the fish captured in agement of tautog , while all other states with Photo: J. McNamee the various surveys that are used to in- tautog fisheries had to take some significant re- form the regional stock assessment, such ductions in their 2012 fishing seasons. as the Division’s fishery independent trawl survey. Both recreational and commercial fisheries occur on Aside from the collaboration with recreational fishermen tautog in Narragansett Bay and in RI coastal waters in the on the collection of important data for the stock assessment, spring, summer, and fall. The main commercial fishery is the recreational representatives on the State’s Marine Fisher- prosecuted by small scale rod and reel fishermen with some ies Council and its associated advisory panels have been a catch also occurring by otter trawl, floating fish trap, and fish driving force behind the proactive and conservation-minded pot gear types. A commercial quota is set for tautog to con- regulations that have been administered in the state. Begin- strain harvest to within an amount that would allow the spe- ning in 1996 with the first management plans on this spe- cies to be sustainably harvested and this quota is broken cies, RI recreational fishermen have always been progressive into three sub periods, each of which has its own unique in their approach to tautog management, being one of the characteristics as far as the user groups participating in the first states to implement a 16” minimum size to protect older fishery.