Newport is about to restrict one of RI's most popular fishing spots. Why it's being done.
NEWPORT – The Goat Island Causeway is one of the most popular places to go fishing for squid in the entire state. However, fishing enthusiasts should expect signs in place soon which prohibit fishing on a small portion of the bridge.
“The goal is not to limit fishing,” Newport Harbor Master Stephen Land said. “It’s to give a safe area for boats to travel underneath and not get hooked by fish hooks.”
Land said the city’s Waterfront Commission noticed a possible safety issue with the fishing happening on the Goat Island Causeway and the boats that drive underneath it. A federal channel ends at the causeway and becomes a fairway, causing small vessels to pass under the bridge all the time. At the same time, the causeway is also a popular fishing spot, particularly for squidding, Land said. When he spoke to the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, they told him the causeway was one of the most popular spots for squid fishing in the entire state.
While nothing has happened as far as Land is aware – it's more common to fish for squid at night, Land said – the commission was concerned about the possibility of a boat snagging on one of the fishing lines.
“No one has reported getting hooked with a fish hook, but I mean, I drive under it all the time and I see guys fishing and you have to avoid it,” Land said. “As a public safety officer, I have to make sure people aren’t going to get hurt when I see something that could be avoided.”
The new signs, which will be up in the coming weeks, will only prohibit fishing along three of the bridge’s spans, Land said, about 60 feet. This way both recreational activities will be able to use the causeway without the possible safety hazard.
“It’s not a huge problem or issue,” Land said. “They’re just trying to do a little preventative thinking outside the box. They saw a conflict and are just trying to fix this before someone gets hurt.”
Land credits Waterfront Commissioner Gary Lash in particular for his dedication to this cause, although this is not the first time fishing has been prohibited along the causeway. Land said he even discovered old “No Fishing” signs from RIDEM along the causeway that was erected over 30 years ago a while back.
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The Harbor Master’s office is making an effort to be preventative and educate the public on potential safety conflicts between different recreational uses in Newport Harbor, Land said.
“Newport’s small and we have so many boats, we have potential conflicts all the time, and that kind of keeps me in business, but we’re working on it,” Land said. “All we’re trying to do is educate people on rules of the road and safety and other uses in the Harbor, so we’re doing a couple things, like the signs on the bridge, trying to be preventative and informative and educational.”
This article originally appeared on Newport Daily News: Goat Island Causeway fishing to be restricted in Newport
