Category: Meeting Information

Rhode Island Seafood Challenge: Chowder Cookoff – April 4th

The 2014 Rhode Island Seafood Challenge puts Johnson & Wales University culinary students to the test making Rhode Island-style clam chowder

Join us for the 2014 Rhode Island Seafood Challenge—a chowder cookoff at Johnson & Wales University (JWU) on Friday, April 4, from 11 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. [Reservations required; see below.]

Three teams of JWU culinary students will prepare their own original recipes for Rhode Island-style clam chowder for a guest audience of other JWU students and the public. The audience will get to taste each of the chowders and vote for their favorite. The winning team will be featured on NBC 10’s Cooking with Class with Chef Frank Terranova.

In addition to the recipe challenge, experts will present talks on Rhode Island’s seafood industry and food safety. Speakers will include Ken Ayars, chief of the R.I. Department of Environmental Management’s Division of Agriculture, Chris Lee, director at Sea Fresh, a seafood processor and wholesaler in North Kingstown, R.I., and Lori Pivarnik, coordinator of the University of Rhode Island’s Food Safety Outreach/Research Program in the Department of Nutrition and Food Sciences.

“Incorporating fresh, local ingredients is a focus of the Wellness and Sustainability concentration that many of our students are studying. This competition is a way to share that with the public while challenging our students to experiment with this great locally available seafood,” said William Idell, department chair in the JWU College of Culinary Arts.

Fresh clams will be donated by Atlantic Capes Fisheries in Bristol, R.I.

This event will be held at the JWU Harborside Campus Amphitheater. Seating is limited. This event is free, but advance reservations are required by contacting Rhode Island Sea Grant at (401) 874-6800 or kellibutler@etal.uri.edu.

Toxic Algae and Oyster Disease in Narragansett Bay Presentation on March 26th

Coastal State Discussion Series: Toxic Algae and Oyster Disease in Narragansett Bay

Rhode Island researchers discuss impacts of emerging algal species and marine disease that may impact the state’s seafood and water resources.

Two potential threats have emerged in Narragansett Bay waters that raise concern for both the health of Rhode Island waters and the overall state of the seafood industry.

Researchers David Borkman, marine plankton expert at the University of Rhode Island (URI) Graduate School of Oceanography, and Roxanna Smolowitz, shellfish and fish disease expert at Roger Williams University, will discuss findings of a new harmful algae species and an oyster parasite in the second event of the Coastal State Discussion Series on Wednesday, March 26, from 4 to 6 p.m. at the University Club on URI’s Kingston campus.

Borkman has been studying marine plankton in Narragansett Bay for several decades and has found a new species of algae in R.I. waters, the third observation of this species on the East Coast and the first in New England. He will discuss his findings and studies of this highly toxic species and what its presence may mean for the health of the Bay.

Smolowitz will discuss her work that looks at the transmission and impact of a new parasitic disease in the eastern oyster. This parasite has been linked to the death of oysters in Martha’s Vineyard, and its presence in Rhode Island shows a potential for significant infection of eastern oyster farms, impacting the state’s $2 million oyster industry.

This event is free and open to the public, but seating is limited, so please contact Meredith Haas at mmhaas@mail.uri.edu to reserve a place or for more information. The University Club is located on Upper College Road on URI’s Kingston Campus.

The Coastal State series is sponsored by Rhode Island Sea Grant and the URI Coastal Institute with the support of the URI Graduate School of Oceanography and the URI College of the Environment and Life Sciences. This lecture is also supported by the Rhode lsland Shellfish Management Plan.

Rhode Island Sea Grant is located at the URI Graduate School of Oceanography. For more information, visit seagrant.gso.uri.edu.

Baird Symposium Presentations

baird symposiumClick the links below to view the presentations from the Baird Science Symposium on the Future of Shellfish in Rhode Island.

Shellfish in Rhode Island: Opportunities for Growth
Presenter:
Robert Rheault, Executive Director, East Coast Shellfish Growers Association

The Value of Restoring Shellfish
Presenters:
Boze Hancock, Marine Restoration Scientist, Global Marine Team, The Nature Conservancy
Jon Grabowski, Associate Professor, Northeastern University
Carl LoBue, Senior Marine Scientist, The Nature Conservancy

Growing the Crop
Presenters:
Michael A. Rice, Department of Fisheries, Animal & Veterinary Science, University of Rhode Island
Robert Rheault, Executive Director, East Coast Shellfish Growers Association
Rich Langan, Director, Coastal and Ocean Technology Programs; Professor, School of Marine Science and Ocean Engineering, University of New Hampshire

Plenary
Presenter:
Bill Dewey, Taylor Shellfish Farms

Maximizing Harvest
Presenters:
Jeff Mercer, Principal Biologist, R.I. Department of Environmental Management
John Kraeuter, Marine Science Center, University of New England; Haskin Shellfish Research Lab, Rutgers University

Shellfish and Water Quality
Presenters:
Lisa Kellogg, Research Scientist, Virginia Institute of Marine Science
Thomas Uva, Director of Planning, Policy and Regulation, Narragansett Bay Commission

Selling Shellfish at Home
Presenters:
Maureen Pothier, Chair, College of Culinary Arts, Johnson and Wales University; Member, board of directors, Farm Fresh Rhode Island
Peter Ramsden, President & CEO, M.F. Foley Company, Inc.
Perry Raso, Owner and Operator, Matunuck Oyster Bar and Matunuck Oyster Farm

For more information about the presenters, please view the Baird Sea Grant Science Symposium page.

Paul Kennedy: Clamming Important Part of Ocean State Life

Our “Clamming 101” instructor, Paul Kennedy, writes about the lure of digging for clams in ecoRI’s Opinions, tying his personal experiences into Rhode Island’s shellfishing legacy.

From Paul’s editorial:

…recreational shellfishing has become a thread in Rhode Island’s historical fabric. It’s a part of our Ocean State heritage that can and must be protected and supported.

Done correctly, recreational shellfishing can be a boon to our tourism-dependent economy. The resource must be protected and awareness of its potential benefits must be heightened. I am happy to report that work on this has already begun.

 

Paul Kennedy lead our first Clamming 101 class on Point Judith Pond.

Paul Kennedy lead our first Clamming 101 class on Point Judith Pond.

SMP Summer Updates

On behalf of the Shellfish Management Plan Team, we hope you’ve been enjoying the summer and are having fun in this hot weather! It’s been a few months since our last SMP Stakeholder meeting in May, but we’ve been busy here preparing the SMP Chapters, hosting “How to Dig Clams” events, and having productive dialogues with many of you about how to maintain the tremendous momentum and interest in shellfish resources. We wanted to share the latest SMP news with you, so please check out the Summer 2013 SMP Updates.

Additionally, read our recent newsletter here.

As always, if you have any questions, concerns, or comments, email the SMP Team at smp@etal.uri.edu.

Azure_August 2nd

Project leader Azure Cygler, right, discusses the SMP with SMP supporters in East Greenwich.

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