Category: Press

DEM ANNOUNCES THE RE-OPENING OF SHELLFISH WATERS IN BRISTOL HARBOR

News Release
RI Department of Environmental Management
235 Promenade St., Providence, RI 02908
(401) 222-2771   www.dem.ri.gov

For Release:  March 18, 2015
Contact: Town of Bristol: Jose DaSilva, 401-253-8877
DEM: Gail Mastrati 401-222-4700 Ext. 2402; or
Cindy Hannus, 401-222-4700 Ext. 7241

 

DEM ANNOUNCES THE RE-OPENING OF SHELLFISH WATERS IN BRISTOL HARBOR BEGINNING AT SUNRISE THURSDAY, MARCH 19

PROVIDENCE – The Department of Environmental Management has announced that the waters of Bristol Harbor and waters in the vicinity of Hog Island that were closed to shellfishing due to a failure in the disinfection system at the Bristol Wastewater Treatment Plant are scheduled to re-open at sunrise Thursday, March 19.

Specifically, waters North and East of a line from the southern tip of Poppasquash Point, Bristol to Southwest Point on Hog Island and from the southwest point of Hog Island to the southwestern extremity of Arnold Point in Portsmouth, where a DEM range marker has been established. Those waters classified as Prohibited in the area in accordance with RIDEM’s May 2014 -2015 shellfish closure map remain closed to shellfishing.  Aquaculturists in the areas that will reopen on March 19 can resume normal operations of their leases at sunrise tomorrow.

The DEM collected water samples to test for fecal coliform bacteria in response to this emergency closure with the Bristol Harbor Master on Tuesday, March17.  Results from the Rhode Island Department of Health’s laboratory analysis indicate that these waters are now suitable for the harvesting of shellfish.

A DEM investigation of the failure is continuing. The facility is currently operating normally.

For more information on the plant failure, contact Bristol Wastewater Treatment Facility superintendent Jose DaSilva at 401-253-8877.

For more information about the shellfish closure, contact Joseph Migliore in DEM’s Office of Water Resources at 222-4700 extension 7258.

DEM maintains a 24-hour shellfishing hotline with recorded updated information on shellfish closure areas.  That number is 222-2900.   

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DEM ANNOUNCES EMERGENCY SHELLFISH CLOSURE IN BRISTOL HARBOR

News Release
RI Department of Environmental Management
235 Promenade St., Providence, RI 02908
(401) 222-2771   www.dem.ri.gov

For Release:  March 16, 2015
Contact: Town of Bristol: Jose DaSilva, 401-253-8877
DEM: Gail Mastrati 401-222-4700 Ext. 2402; or
Cindy Hannus, 401-222-4700 Ext. 7241

DEM ANNOUNCES EMERGENCY SHELLFISH CLOSURE IN BRISTOL HARBOR BEGINNING SUNRISE TUESDAY, MARCH 17 DUE TO REPORTED SEWAGE TREATMENT PLANT DISINFECTION MALFUNCTION

PROVIDENCE – The Department of Environmental Management has announced that in addition to currently Prohibited waters within Bristol Harbor and surrounding Hog Island, the remaining waters of Bristol Harbor and in the vicinity of Hog Island (see attached map) will be closed to shellfish harvesting beginning at sunrise Tuesday, March 17, until further notice.  The closure is being enacted because of information provided to DEM by the Town of Bristol of a lack of disinfection that resulted in elevated bacteria levels in plant effluent.  A town official notified DEM this morning of the issue and it is being investigated.

The Bristol Harbor Master will collect water samples in Bristol Harbor on Tuesday to test for fecal coliform bacteria levels.  The DEM will make a determination on the duration of the closure based upon the Department’s review of those sample results.

Specifically, all waters North and East of a line from the Southern tip of Poppasquash Point, Bristol to the Southwestern extremity of Arnold Point in Portsmouth, where a DEM range marker has been established, will be closed to shellfish harvesting beginning at sunrise on March 17, until further notice.  Refer to the attached map as reference.

In addition, to accommodate previously scheduled delivery of oyster seed, all aquaculturists in areas where the emergency shellfish closures have been enacted will be allowed access to their leases for the purposes of preparing for and planting the oyster seed.  All other activities on the aquaculture lease, including but not limited to the harvest of shellfish, will remain prohibited until the water quality is acceptable to allow for harvest.

Aquaculturists seeking permission to prepare for or plant seed under this emergency authorization are required to contact Dave Beutel, CRMC’s aquaculture coordinator at 401-783-7587.

A DEM investigation of the failure is underway.  The facility is currently operating normally.  For more information on the plant disinfection failure, contact the Bristol Wastewater Treatment Facility superintendent, Jose DaSilva, at 401-253-8877.

For more information about the shellfish closure, contact Cindy Hannus in DEM’s Office of Water Resources at 401-222-4700, Ext. 7241.

DEM maintains a 24-hour shellfishing hotline with recorded updated information on shellfish closure areas.  That number is 222-2900.

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To see the official press release, please click here.

DEM Announces Emergency Closure of Mount Hope Bay and Kickemuit River

Shared on behalf of the RI Department of Environmental Management

News Release
RI Department of Environmental Management
235 Promenade St., Providence, RI 02908
(401) 222-2771   www.dem.ri.gov

For Release: February 25, 2015
Contact: Gail Mastrati 222-4700 ext. 2402

DEM ANNOUNCES EMERGENCY CLOSURE OF MOUNT HOPE BAY AND KICKEMUIT RIVER TO SHELLFISHING BEGINNING THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 26 DUE TO FAILURE OF DISINFECTION SYSTEM AT FALL RIVER PLANT

PROVIDENCE – The Department of Environmental Management announces that conditionally-approved areas of Mount Hope Bay and the Kickemuit River will be closed to shellfishing beginning at sunrise on Thursday, February 26.  DEM enacted the emergency closure because an estimated 600,000 gallons of non-disinfected effluent was discharged todayfrom the Fall River Regional Wastewater Treatment Facility between 8:50 a.m. and 9:50 a.m. Officials from the Massachusetts facility notified DEM’s Office of Water Resources this morning of the disinfection system failure.

Specifically, the closure will affect the following waters: All waters of the Kickemuit River and Mt. Hope Bay south of a line from the range marker at the eastern extension of Patterson Avenue in the Laurel Park section of Warren to the flagpole on the opposite eastern shore on the property of #61 Asylum Road in Touisset, and north and west of a line from Bristol Point to the Buoy “R4” channel marker located on the southerly side of the Mount Hope Bay channel, that intersects with a line from the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management range marker located approximately midway on Touisset Point to the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management range marker located on Common Fence Point in Portsmouth.

DEM plans to reopen the conditionally approved areas of Mount Hope Bay and the Kickemuit River to shellfishing at sunrise on Thursday, March 5, weather permitting.

DEM maintains a 24-hour shellfishing hotline with recorded updated information on shellfish closure areas.  That number is 222-2900.

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To read the full press release, please click here. 

 

Commercial Fisheries Research Foundation Research Video

Shared on behalf of the The Commercial Fisheries Research Foundation

The Commercial Fisheries Research Foundation (CFRF) is pleased to announce the release of a documentary video summarizing a recently completed collaborative research project on quahogs in Narragansett Bay. The project was conducted by a team of scientists from Roger Williams University and the University of Rhode Island, managers from the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, and commercial shellfishermen. It was supported through the CFRF’s Southern New England Collaborative Research Initiative (SNECRI), a program funded under NOAA Award #NA08NMF4720595 and made possible through efforts by U.S. Senator Jack Reed.

To view the documentary video please click here.

For more information on this and other CFRF supported projects please click here.

New Research on Oyster Aquaculture

Shared on behalf of the East Coast Shellfish Grower’s Association

New research on oyster aquaculture through WHOI Sea Grant, Cape Cod Cooperative Extension and the SE Massachusetts Aquaculture Center.

1) A Comparison of Bottom and Floating Gear for Growing American Oysters (Crassostrea virginica) in Southeastern Massachusetts. Extension studies reveal that oysters grown in floating gear had better growth, survival and condition index compared with bottom cages.

2) Vp in oysters

Diane Murphy did a study where she compared Vibrio levels in oysters that were immediately iced upon harvest vs. those that exposed to ambient temps for 5 hours. Predictably iced oysters had lower counts, but the real take home message for me here was that Vibrio numbers reverted to baseline after 18 hours of resubmergence. So oysters that were exposed for 5 hours and returned to the waters overnight were back to normal by the following morning. This is another study that should help put to rest some of the concerns raised by regulators about shoreside culling and resubmergence.

Click here for more information.

Marine Extension Bulletin Available – Shellfish, Nitrogen and the Health of Our Coastal Waters

This marine extension bulletin serves to summarize the often confusing potential for shellfish to be used as part of a plan to mitigate the effects of excess nutrients in coastal waters. The Cape Cod area in particular is grappling with the potentially enormous costs of reducing the nutrient load to coastal waters and all options are up for discussion. Shellfish are natural inhabitants of coastal waters and through their normal feeding activity are involved in cycling and incorporating nutrients through their food. This bulletin discusses the potential, and also the challenges to using shellfish production as part of a nutrient reduction plan.

Click here for more information.

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