Dave Monti: State releases on

Jim Kelly caught this 43-inch striped bass on the Cape Cod Canal with an Al Gag’s white plastic jig. The jig has worked magic for canal anglers this year.

The Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries has completed the second phase of a two-year project to develop the first-of-its-kind evaluation of the operational costs of on-demand fishing-gear technology by lobster fishermen.

The study was funded by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation in partnership with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

On-demand fishing gear, commonly known as ropeless fishing gear, replaces traditional vertical buoy lines, which can result in entanglements with marine mammals, including North Atlantic right whales, with new gear retrieval and marking methods. Most on-demand fishing gear systems consist of submerged buoyancy devices that are activated using time-release mechanisms or acoustic signals transmitted from the surface.

Previous economic studies focusing on on-demand gear have assessed the costs of purchasing the equipment, determining that outfitting the Massachusetts fishing fleet with the gear could cost tens to hundreds of millions of dollars.

The report, “Estimating the Costs of Using On-Demand Gear in Massachusetts Lobster Fisheries,” examines the financial impacts of using the gear onboard lobster fishing vessels. The report presents a model that can be used to estimate these operational costs, providing important information that will assist in the consideration of fishery-management scenarios involving entanglement risk-reducing fishing gear.

Because some types of on-demand gear require significantly more time to operate than traditional vertical-line gear, the costs of using it were shown to be as high as the purchase price of the gear itself in many cases.

As additional types of on-demand gear are developed and systematically tested, our new economic model will provide valuable information to assess costs and benefits to keep our iconic lobster fisheries sustainable and prosperous.

For more information about DMF’s on-demand gear research and other protected species conservation programs, visit Conservation of Protected Marine Species at mass.gov.

A presentation on Cape Cod Canal fishing will be given by Bill Prodouz on Tuesday, Aug. 8, at 7 p.m. The program is taking place at the Cataumet Schoolhouse, 1200 County Road, Cataumet. Light refreshments will be served. East End Eddie Doherty, Cape Cod Canal fishing author, said, “Bill ‘On the Grill’ Prodouz’s last seminar at this venue, on Cuttyhunk fishing, was standing-room-only so don’t miss this outstanding free event.”

Tuna: “Offshore fishing south of Block Island continues to produce well for yellowfin and bluefin,” Declan O’Donnell of Breachway Bait & Tackle in Charlestown, R.I., said. “Most of the fish are still being caught on the troll, but there seems to be more of a jig bite developing.” Jeff Sullivan of Lucky Bait & Tackle in Warren said, “I have never seen tuna fishing this good. We are starting tomorrow at the East Fishing Grounds near the Block Island Wind Farm. We are going to try to hook a giant bluefin.”

Summer flounder (fluke), black sea bass and scup: “Fluke reports from last week have been great,” O’Donnell said. “Local South county waters and Block Island waters have been producing solid catches. More squid and sand eels have entered our area as well. Black sea bass reports are only getting better with some nice blue headers being jigged up.” Sullivan said, “We fished in front of the Sakonnet River this weekend and limited out in 72 feet of water in no time. In the bay, anglers are fishing the Mt. Hope Bridge for fluke, but are really having to work for them, and scup are plentiful in Mount Hope Bay.” John Littlefield of Archie’s Bait & Tackle in Riverside said, “Fishing in the upper bay has been off, including scup fishing at Sabin Point and other areas in the upper bay. Last week, the upper bay water was 80 degrees. Things should improve this week with cooler water temperatures.”

Striped bass and bluefish: “Angler ‘Paulie the Painter’ Gravina got into some stripers, including a 44-inch powerhouse that almost pulled him of the rocks,” said East End Eddie Doherty, expert Cape Cod Canal fisherman and author. “Then a couple of days later, he reeled in 18 fish up to 38 inches with green Mack soft plastic paddle tail jigs. The average IQ on the canal always improves whenever Dr. Johan Frenje wets a line. The MIT nuclear physicist fooled a 40-inch bass with a 3-ounce green Mack Al Gags jig.” O’Donnell noted, “We’re seeing some really warm water out front up to 74 and temperatures of up to 84 in the salt ponds. Keep this in mind while targeting striped bass. The bite is better during mornings and evenings, as they can get finicky during the day when the sun is high. Live eels and chunked fresh bait continue to produce, as well as large soft plastics (Joe Baggs, Gravity Tackle). The first two hours of incoming tide in the pond seems to have the most action.” “The striped-bass bite is outstanding,” Sullivan said. “We haven’t had to move all season as the Brenton Reef area is producing striped bass with giant bluefish too. So many bluefish are in the area that the dolphins are here feeding on them.”

Freshwater fishing: Largemouth bass continue to be better early morning and at dusk when things cool off. “Anglers are catching largemouth with shiners at Stump Pond, Smithfield and Turner Reservoir, Rumford. The water is still warm, so fish are deep or in the shade. We still have a small trout bite at Willet Avenue Pond, Riverside, along with anglers targeting sun fish with worms,” said Littlefield.

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 and clients. Forward fishing news and photos to [email protected] or visit www.noflukefishing.com.