My Experience at the ASGA Fisheries Science Symposium

On May 17th I had the privilege of attending the American Saltwater Guides Association (ASGA) Fisheries Science symposium on behalf of My Fishing Cape Cod.

A cool early morning sun settled onto the streets of Woods Hole, Falmouth, as a small crowd filled the sidewalk outside the Speck Auditorium where the symposium was scheduled to start at 8:30am.

The streets, usually quiet at this hour, were packed with pickups and SUV’s sporting an eclectic assortment of fishing stickers, rod and kayak racks, and coolers. Anglers milled about the entrance, bordered by large Simms banners, a welcome acknowledgment of Simms' support for the ASGA as an event sponsor and conservation partner.

In attendance was a lively crowd, dozens of conscientious recreational anglers, saltwater guides, marine biologists and members of various fisheries management organizations and ASGA partners.

Still groggy from a long and late night in the Cape Cod surf, I made my way through the doors, checked in at the front and quickly made my way to the side tables stacked with an assortment of fresh breakfast pastries and drinks to snag myself a caffeinated pick up.

Hot coffee in hand I followed the crowd into the auditorium where a large screen projecting the ASGA logo was set up in the front of the room. To either side were displays depicting a leaping Striped Bass and an Albie, both key quarry species for saltwater sport guides and recreational anglers alike.

What is the ASGA?

The American Saltwaters Guide Association is an organization composed of like minded anglers and fishing guides with a mission to support and protect our fisheries through science, education and advocacy.

With ranging initiatives, from Striped bass and Albie research in the Northeast to defending Redfish in Louisiana and the Gulf, and forage species like Bunker along the coasts. The ASGA exists as a dedicated voice for our fisheries, with a straight, no nonsense attitude towards conservation.

To paraphrase one member of the ASGA team...

“love us or hate us you’ve heard of us and that keeps the conversation moving forward”

My Fishing Cape Cod members and conscientious anglers interested in the ASGA and their mission can read about their initiatives and become a member through their site by clicking here.

The Agenda for the Day

The symposium began with a brief introduction from the ASGA team and event sponsor Simms before recognizing key members within the community who've made exceptional efforts by dedicating their time and passion towards conserving our fisheries.

First up was ASGA Chairman Peter Jenkins, the 2024 recipient of the Simms Conservationist of the year award.

Next to be recognized was Dr. Mike Armstrong, Deputy Director of the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries who has dedicated his career to defending our coastal marine resource.

Dr. Armstrong was awarded the first annual ASGA “courage in conservation” award for his steadfast advocacy and dedication throughout his time with the MA Fisheries.

Following the opening introduction and recognitions, the crowd settled in for the main event - science and data driven presentations, highlighting relevant research and initiatives relevant to the ASGA.

Striped Bass Magic

Scott Bennet, Program manager of Striped Bass Magic at the Woods Hole Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) was first to the podium to present data his organization has collected on a particular population of resident Cape Cod bass. These fish follow a cyclical migratory pattern returning to the same Cape harbor season after season.

Through Striped Bass Magic and the MBL, Scott and his team have used an acoustic telemetry tagging program to monitor these fish over the course of several seasons. Data collected helps to reveal the behavioral patterns and migration of resident fish, information relevant to both the scientific and angling communities on Cape Cod.

With 70% of the same fish returning each season certain patterns are apparent within the data. Of interest, the seasonal rhythms of these fish remain fairly consistent. Returning to stage in the Cape’s waters in late May or early June and departing in late October.

Other observations regarding the depth profile and circadian rhythms of these fish are as much of interest to recreational anglers and the members of My Fishing Cape Cod community as they are to the Striped Bass Magic team.

This population of bass for instance tends to spend time during the daylight hours staged tightly in the upper water columns, after dark the fish begin to move deeper and range throughout the body of water. Understanding these behaviors can be useful, not only to the scientists researching these special fish but to the anglers who passionately target them.

To learn more about Striped Bass Magic and their work, visit https://stripedbassmagic.org/

Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) Striped Bass and Herring Monitoring

Andrew Jacobs

Representing the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) ‘s Natural Resource Department, laboratory manager Andrew Jacobs was up next to document a resident population of striped bass on Martha’s Vineyard.

His presentation focused on the research being conducted within the tidal fed Menemsha pond watershed. These waters have long held cultural significance to the tribe and provide a seasonal source of sustenance during the river herring run.

To better understand and preserve this important cultural connection and tribal resource a monitoring program was instituted to study the herring population and monitor the watershed. Through this research the program identified a substantial population of resident, holdover Striped bass which maintain a year round presence in the Islands sheltered backwaters.

These bass winter over, feeding heavily in the spring with the arrival of the herring. Through tagging and data collected with monitoring camera’s the Tribe continues to work to understand and protect these vulnerable and vital fish populations.

To learn more, visit https://wampanoagtribe-nsn.gov/natural-resources

GotOne App

Luyen Chou

The GotOne App is a recent introduction to the world of scientific angling. Utilizing AI technology the app allows anglers to log their catches, building a personal database of data that can be used to identify patterns within the fishery.

By accessing real time and Meta data saved within photographs, GotOne collects relevant environmental information, location, wind, tide and weather conditions and correlates these factors with each logged catch.

Advances in AI technology have also allowed the team behind Got One to begin patterning and identifying fish, both by species and individually. This process as Chou described it is a form of non-invasive tagging, allowing the movements of a fish to be tracked through subsequent catches and logs within the App.

GotOne works in collaboration with the ASGA and organizations like NOAA to bring this information into a relevant scientific format and to contribute to fish science. Through the convergence of consumer and scientific data, resources like GotOne help to develop overall population and range assessment for a number of important game fish species. GotOne allows every angler and guide to contribute to this “citizen science” initiative simply by logging catches during their time spent on the water.

As Mr. Chou also noted, anglers concerned about the possibility of “spot burning” their secret surf spots or plotted numbers can be assured that the team behind GotOne takes user data privacy seriously and the app features allow for location specifics to be protected by the user.

For more information on this new app, please visit https://gotoneapp.com/

Louisiana Redfish Conservation 

Captain Bailey Short

A crowd favorite Captain Bailey Short, a Louisiana native and Redfish Guide, took to the podium to describe recent efforts within the Gulf to protect this valuable game species. Louisiana has been slow to adopt an updated, scientific approach to the conservation of Species like redfish. The involvement of groups like the ASGA and the dedicated guiding communities of the Gulf have worked to move this conversation in a positive, conservation minded direction.

Though far removed from our local waters of the Cape and Islands, the push to conserve a key inshore species like the gulf redfish is a cause deserving of recognition and support by anglers everywhere.

Learn more at https://www.saltwaterguidesassociation.com/louisiana-redfish-old-habits-die-hard/

ASGA Forage Fish Updates

ASGA Team

Members from the ASGA team took a turn at the podium to highlight some of the work being undertaken to safeguard keystone species within our coastal ecosystems. The population health of forage species like Menhaden at the lower trophic levels of the food chain play a critical role in the health of the ecosystem as a whole. Recreational and commercial anglers, guides, tuna captains and whale watching organizations all benefit from a healthy biomass of these fish.

The ASGA has focused it’s attention on these critical prey species, pushing for precautionary management and raising awareness of mass harvesting companies like Omega Protein which remove tens of tons of these baitfish each season.

Learn more at https://www.saltwaterguidesassociation.com/mathematics-of-menhaden/

The Albie Project

ASGA Team: Chris Batsavage, Ed Kim and David Borden

The day finished with a series of short lectures revolving around the ASGA Albie Project. A concerted effort to study and better regulate these unique and highly migratory visitors to our Cape Waters. Albie’s, known elsewhere as little Tunny, are a hard fighting inshore species belonging to the Tuna family. Prized by recreational anglers and guides alike they are a key species within our coastal angling economy.

Ed Kim of the New England Aquarium’s Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life, presented efforts to better understand the movements of Albies through a dedicated acoustic telemetry tagging program. Very little is known about the behavior, population and migratory processes of these speedy fish. Tracking data will help to better understand the coastal movements of the species and develop a proper regulatory plan to ensure a continued and robust presence in our waters.

Chris Batsavage from the North Carolina DEQ Division of Marine Fisheries and David Borden, former Fisheries Director of the Rhode Island DEM discussed the need for precautionary management. Their presentations highlighted the fact that these fish are migratory and far ranging along the eastern seaboard and regulatory practices in one area can impact the biomass as a whole.

Learn more at https://www.saltwaterguidesassociation.com/albie-project-year-2-results-migration-insights/