JAMESTOWN, R.I. (WPRI) — On an unseasonably warm October day, the John H. Chaffee pulled away from the docks of Fort Wetherill to conduct a survey of the marine life that call Narragansett Bay home. Known as trawl fishing, scientists roll out a large net in the water, drag it along the ocean floor and see what comes up. Christopher Parkins, the principal biologist of the trawl survey for the R.I. Department of Environmental Management (DEM), said state regulators have been using trawl fishing data since 1979 to decide which marine life can be caught and which need to be protected. But since Parkins started in 2016, he said the data has shown that fish are coming earlier and staying longer because of rising temperatures brought on by climate change. "We're seeing things like menhaden that would leave in the wintertime, we see them 12 months a year now," he said. Parkins also said climate change has been pushing out other species that prefer the cold, like cod and lobster. "Looking at things like lobster, they kind of have been a loser of climate change," he said. "They used to be all over Narragansett Bay. They're still here, but for the most part, they're in deeper water. They're offshore." It's a sentiment shared by Narragansett Bay Lobsters, which told Target 12 it is now largely catching lobsters roughly 10 miles off the coast. Each time the trawl survey is conducted, biologists count, sort, weigh and measure the creatures they pull up. The marine life is then released back into the water. Target 12 saw the net pull up scup, squid and butterfish out of the bay, all of which Parkins said are common. But another fish that showed up is another sign of climate change, according to Parkins. "Spot is one of the ones we're starting to see more of," he said. "That's more of a mid-Atlantic species." Scott Olszewski, chief of the DEM's Division of Marine Fisheries, said these monthly surveys are done even in frigid temperatures. He said the data is crucial in determining fishing regulations. Tautog collected during the trawling survey. "We manage for sustainable use so that everybody has the opportunity [to fish]," he said. "Whether they want to go and purchase seafood or they want to catch it on their own." Olszewski said regulations have shown results in protecting species, like a large black fish known as a tautog. He explained that limiting fishing during their breeding season has boosted the population. "They know that Rhode Island has a good tautog fishery this time of year," he said. "A lot of these things are really good economic drivers for the state." DON'T MISS: New Jersey man catches record-breaking tautog in Newport During the October survey, the vessel also picked up some trash, including a PVC pipe, a heart-shaped Mylar balloon and a lobster trap. "Sometimes we'll get ghost gear, sometimes we'll get pieces of plastic," Parkins said. "That piece of PVC? It was a little abnormal. But it depends, you really never know what you're going to get." In fact, Parkins said the oddities the net pulls up are one of the best parts of the trawl survey. He said he's seen everything from a drone to fish from the Gulf of Mexico. "We had a red snapper last week," he said. In fact, during the October trawl survey Target 12 took part in, a red big eye was pulled from Narragansett Bay, a species Parkins said is tropical. However, Parkins said this fish's presence is not a sign of climate change. Red eye collected during the trawling survey. "That's another one of those tropical species that we don't see a lot of, but they come later in the summer when the water warms up," he said. During this particular survey, he said there were fewer fish than they would normally see in the summer, which is a sign that the marine life are heading out for the winter. "It's really about the health of Narragansett Bay," DEM Director Terry Gray said. "It shows you really what's under the water here." Kate Wilkinson ([email protected]) is a Target 12 investigative reporter for 12 News. Connect with her on Twitter and Facebook. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Ocean, Bay & Beach Report SIGN UP NOW