At Gilbert Stuart Stream, as well as throughout the region, 2023 was the second year in a row of poor river herring spawning stock numbers.

“Unfortunately, southern New England saw a second straight year of poor river herring returns. Rhode Island counts were down again state-wide, as were the surrounding regions. We’ve continued to meet with our State and Federal colleagues to try to further understand these low numbers and collect additional data in attempts to get to the root of the cause.

The Gilbert Stuart site was once again under 5,000 fish. Our rough estimate for the season was 4,100.” states Pat McGee, Fisheries Biologist with the RI Department of Environmental Management, Division of Fish and Wildlife.