Tag: Narragansett Bay

Poll to gauge aquaculture, salt-pond use

Shared on behalf of the: Westerly Sun

Researchers at the University of Rhode Island are directing two studies: a statewide survey collecting people’s insights on shellfish farms and another which looks at commercial and recreational activities in Quonochontaug, Ninigret and Point Judith.

The survey has been spread throughout RI to farmers, commercial harvesters and waterfront property owners. The study is led by Tracy Dalton a URI marine affairs professor, and measures how many shellfish farms people are ready to accept in Narragansett Bay and the salt ponds.

David Beutel, aquaculture coordinator for the Coastal Resources Management Council, hopes the study will help Rhode Islanders understand aquaculture and collect information that is hard to acquire. Dalton also anticipates knowledge from the surveyors about how much support they are willing to give.

To read the full article by Cynthia Drummond click here.

Sustainable Water Quality Solutions Project Introduction and Brainstorming Session

Exploring Sustainable Water Quality Solutions for Upper Narragansett Bay:
Project Intro & Brainstorming Session
Tuesday December 2, 2014: 1-4 PM
Narragansett Bay Commission
Providence, RI

You are cordially invited to a meeting to brainstorm future opportunities for the restoration and sustainable water quality management of Upper Narragansett Bay on Tuesday, December 2, 2014, 1 to 4 PM at the Narragansett Bay Commission headquarters in Providence, RI.

Background
The Rhode Island Bays, Rivers and Watersheds Coordination Team has launched a stakeholders process to identify sustainable, cost-effective management and restoration strategies that will further improve water quality and the overall ecological health of upper Narragansett Bay.

Phase one of the stakeholders process seeks to 1) identify, examine, and evaluate four to five ecosystem-based approaches that could be undertaken within the bay or along the coastline that will improve water and habitat quality , 2) identify data and research gaps regarding the most promising approaches, and 3) develop consensus on which approaches merit further pursuit and planning.

To lead this process, the Coordination Team has convened a Project Steering Committee (PSC) consisting of the organizations and individuals whose input, participation, and consensus is most needed to select and approve the most promising approaches. The PSC is supported by the Horsley Witten Group and the Consensus Building Institute.

Purpose
The PSC and consultants have initially identified four ecosystem­based management categories that merit further research and consideration:

o Shellfish & Macroalgae Cultivation & Restoration
o Reducing Tidal & Circulatory Restrictions
o Restoring Wetlands
o Enhancing Buffer Zones & Shorelines
o Stormwater Management & Green Infrastructure

This kick-off meeting will convene scientists, technical experts, and management officials with a diversity of technical expertise to share and discuss their questions, ideas, and knowledge on these categories of alternative strategies for restoring the water quality, habitats, and ecological integrity of Upper Narragansett Bay. Meeting participants will be encouraged to brainstorm and share additional options and ideas that warrant further consideration. Findings from the meeting will be used to organize a series of targeted, topical workshops to be held in the first half of 2015.

Attached here is a draft meeting agenda.

If you can possibly join us, please RSVP by Wednesday, November 26 to:

Kimberly Kirwan
kimberly.kirwan@narrabay.com
401 468 8848 x391

If you cannot join us, let us know if there is someone that we should invite in your place.
Thank you in advance for joining us. We look forward to a productive meeting!

PSC Members:
Angelo Liberti & Sue Kiernan Department of Environmental Management
Tom Uva & Pamela Reitsma Narragansett Bay Commission
Ames Colt Bays, Rivers, and Watersheds Coordination Team
Jeff Willis Coastal Resources Management Council
Jared Rhodes Statewide Planning
Tom Borden Narragansett Bay Estuary Program
Hal Walker EPA ORD Atlantic Ecology Division
Mark Nelson & Stacie Smith Horsley Witten Group & Consensus Building Institute

Taking Stock of Currents and Quahogs

Shared on behalf of 41°N, Rhode Island’s Ocean and Coastal Magazine, a publication of Rhode Island Sea Grant and the Coastal Institute at the University of Rhode Island.

Author – Zoe Gentes

“Over 39 million clams were harvested from Narragansett Bay in 2012, supporting a $5.15 million commercial fishing industry, according to figures by Jeff Mercer, principal biologist in marine fisheries for the R.I> Department of Environmental Management (DEM).”

“The estimates of clams in the Bay are used to set fishing limits. In Rhode Island, commercial shellfishermen use a bull rake for harvesting clams. The DEM, however, uses a hydraulic dredge to collect clams for population estimates. Fisherman say that the dredging method of harvesting is inefficient and inaccurate, and is likely to result in unnecessary limits on the commercial fishing operations.”

Read the full article here!

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.

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