Can I Pet Your Quahog?

by Elizabeth Droge-Young, communications intern

I love petting animals. Furry ones, scaly ones, even spiky ones—though I’m more careful about spikes after an unfortunate plant petting experience. Years ago, I lovingly stroked a cactus with soft little red spots, only to discover that the “soft spots” were full of irritating bristles that imbedded in my finger.

While I often ask strangers with pups if I can pet their dog, this July I volunteered at the Exploration Center & Aquarium and got to ask the staff: “can I pet your quahog?”

The Exploration Center & Aquarium has three (count ‘em, three!) touch tanks. Visitors are greeted by a large, low tank filled with critters found on Rhode Island’s rocky shores—think snails, sea urchins, and crabs. Around the corner, you can get up close and personal with skates and horseshoe crabs in a second tank and oft-maligned sharks in a third.

I spent much of my volunteer day at the touch tanks answering questions about the Bay’s residents—and encouraging visitors to expand their definitions of a pettable animal. Physically interacting with the animals also proved a great opening to talking about biology and habitats.

Pet a skate? Check out what the embryos look like in a neighboring tank. 

Hold a horseshoe crab? You can find them right off the beaches of Newport.

Even better than petting my first silky smooth dogfish shark at the aquarium was watching how visitors interacted with the Bay critters. Upon spotting the live horseshoe crabs, a group of vacationers excitedly solved the mystery of the bizarre shells they found outside their vacation rental. A mom showed her daughter a favorite beach sighting from her childhood, so-called mermaid purses, which are actually skate embryos and we all got to chat about skate development. A group of three swimsuit-clad teens hovered around the rocky shores tank with a mixture of interest and apprehension, until one young woman dove her hand in to show her friends a spider crab.

Aside from the fun of hands-on education, interacting with animals of the Bay builds a personal connection to our state’s greatest natural resource. Instead of the abstract idea of protecting the Bay, visitors see the very animals helped by conservation.

What will your connection be? Will you cradle a spiked sea urchin? Or stroke the squishy and nubby skate? Or maybe sit back and watch someone else navigate a horseshoe crab’s (harmless) swinging tail?

Save The Bay’s Exploration Center & Aquarium, located on Easton’s Beach, is open every day 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Memorial Day through Labor Day, and Friday-Sunday from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. in the winter.    

Warwick Summer Cleanup Series

By Phoebe Finn, communications intern

Fishing has been a traditional part of living on Narragansett Bay for many generations. For most people it is a great way to relax, socialize and catch some dinner. However, as the summer months arrive and the amount of fishing increases, we need to make sure that fishermen are not leaving any gear behind on our beaches. Most people clean up their gear, but the few that leave it behind end up causing some serious problems.

Volunteers picked up 2,463 pieces of fishing gear during Rhode Island’s 2016 Intercoastal Cleanup and 100,000 meters of fishing line alone during the 2016 International Coastal Cleanup. That amount of fishing line is enough to reach the bottom of the Mariana Trench, the deepest part of any ocean, nine times! Compared to other items in Rhode Island, the amount of littered fishing gear is actually relatively small because most fishermen are respectful of the ocean that they rely on.

After completing one month of Save The Bay’s Warwick Summer Cleanup Series it is very clear how many fishermen there are here in Rhode Island, so Save The Bay started reaching out to bait and tackle shops to inform them of our beach cleanups. There are many local shops who have pledged to remind their customers of the dangers of littered fishing gear.

While visiting these bait shops I had the pleasure of meeting David Henault at Ocean State Tackle. David was extremely enthusiastic about keeping Narragansett Bay healthy, his partnership with Save The Bay and all the sustainable efforts that he has organized for his shop. After working on the Warwick Summer Cleanup Series for a couple of weeks, it was reassuring to meet such nice people like David who are not only passionate about reducing litter but also interested in making a difference in their day-to-day life.

Fishing gear may not be the most littered item in Narragansett Bay, but it is the most dangerous. Lines, nets, hooks and other gear are designed to entangle wildlife, and that is what they do, long after they are left behind. We have all seen heartbreaking photos of birds with fishing hooks stuck in their beaks, turtles with fishing line wrapped around them and whales entangled in massive nets. Littering is never okay, but in the case of fishing gear, it is especially important to make sure to dispose of it properly.

This dangerous problem has a very simple solution- keep marine species safe by taking your used fishing line, hooks, and any other trash with you when you leave the shore. Most of Warwick’s fishermen already leave their sites clean because they respect Narragansett Bay and know the impacts of littering, but a healthy and safe Narragansett Bay needs all anglers to be a part of the solution.

savebay.org/volunteer

Tropical Travelers Visit Narragansett Bay in August - STB Podcast 21

By Matt Vieira, social media and marketing manager

Tropical fish are swimming into our Bay and into our attention in August at Save The Bay’s Exploration Center and Aquarium. August is Tropical Travelers month at the hands-on center, giving visitors a chance to learn all about the fish who normally live in warmer, more tropical waters along the coast of Florida and up the east coast but wind up in Narragansett Bay when they are swept up in the Gulf Stream.

The Narragansett Baykeeper testifies for your right to fish in Cranston

By Mike Jarbeau, Narragansett Baykeeper

On Monday night, the Cranston City Council approved an ordinance that prohibits fishing from substantial part of the public access site at the end of Ocean Avenue, located adjacent to the Rhode Island Yacht Club. According to the City Council, and some residents who testified at the meeting in support of the ordinance, Ocean Avenue suffers from problems related to litter, noise, disorderly conduct and traffic congestion. The public access site is also a popular spot for fishermen, and much of the testimony attributed the issues directly to the fishing community.

Article I, Section 17 of the Rhode Island Constitution provides that “(t)he people shall continue to enjoy and freely exercise all the rights of fishery… including but not limited to fishing from the shore.” The City of Cranston does not have the authority to regulate fishing, or to prevent any Rhode Islander from enjoying his or her Constitutional right to the resources of Narragansett Bay. The Department of Environmental Management issued a letter to the City Council last week reiterating this point.

The public access site at the end of Ocean Avenue. (Building
in the background is Rhode Island Yacht Club)

As advocates for public access to Narragansett Bay, Save The Bay spoke with residents, City Council members, the Rhode Island Yacht Club, and others in an attempt to encourage other solutions to the problems that have been identified. Having visited the area numerous times, we believe there is a way for all uses to coexist. Municipal trash receptacles could curb litter. A creative look at the parking situation could limit parking directly on the end of the road, which is a major source of congestion and limits the ability of others to enjoy the site.

I testified at the City Council meeting in opposition of the ordinance, along with the Rhode Island Saltwater Anglers Association, the Edgewood Waterfront Preservation Association and several residents who agreed that a fishing ban is not the solution. Following the City Council’s vote, Save The Bay and others have petitioned Mayor Allan Fung to veto the ordinance. We are concerned about the precedent this ban sets in the state and hope Mayor Fung will take a stand in support of public access and the rights of the Rhode Island fishing community.

Critter tales - This ‘trash fish’ is a treasure

By Elizabeth Droge-Young, communications intern

Sea robins get a raw deal.

They’re described as ugly bait stealers, likened to the mythical creature from the black lagoon, and uncharitably labeled as trash fish. Even the most supportive of sources term them “unusual”.

As a Colorado native, where we’re up to our gills in trout, I could only have dreamt of a fish as unique as the northern sea robin. With my land-locked perspective, I’d like to make a case for this gorgeous and spunky fish (that’s right, I said gorgeous):

They come from a talented family

Northern sea robins belong to the greater sea robin family, called Triglidae. They get their common name from their wing-like pectoral fins, as well as the orange belly of an Atlantic-dwelling relative. Those “wings” aren’t just visually striking, some species use them to glide through the air like flying fish.

If that’s not a neat enough trick, take a step onto a different branch of their family tree to find the brightly striped—and venomous—lionfish. Both lionfish and sea robins are part of the same spiky-finned order, Scorpaeniformes.

They speak up when upset

If you’ve ever caught a sea robin, you may have heard its signature ‘croak’. When removed from the water, sea robins let their displeasure be known by internally drumming on their swim bladder, the air-filled organ that keeps fish afloat.

They’re super at sensing

The first three rays of each winged pectoral fin are separated from the rest of the fin and look like little walking legs as they search for food along the bay’s bottom. These specialized rays are used to detect subtle chemicals found in their invertebrate prey.

They’re not fussy eaters

Northern sea robins are just as happy with worm bits as they are with a gourmet lobster dinner. They’ll make a meal of any invertebrate or small fish they run into on the bay floor. Their easy going eating habits also means anglers who are after more popular fish frequently hook northern sea robins on accident.

They’re tasty with butter

While anglers frequently throw back northern sea robins, their relatives are frequently found on European dinner tables, including in bowls of authentic French bouillabaisse. Still, sea robins are making their way into Northeast fish markets as a more affordable alternative to popularly served fish, such as fluke.

You don’t have to travel far to see them

Abundant in coastal waters from Maine all the way down to South Carolina, northern sea robins can be found right off Rhode Island’s shores. You can get up close and personal with these remarkable fish at Save The Bay’s Exploration Center on Easton’s Beach at 175 Memorial Blvd.

While the number and kinds of sea robin are always rotating, the aquarium now hosts seven of these fish—all visiting from the Narragansett Bay. In addition to the northern sea robin, you can also gaze upon their cousins, the striped sea robin. Growing up to a foot long, these fish can be found in the aquarium’s rocky shores tank and the big fish of the bay tank. A juvenile sea robin can also be spotted in the specimen tanks at the back of the center.

Spend some time with these lovely critters and you may see this trash fish from a new perspective.

There’s always more room with me on “team sea robin.”