Regional Event: RI Sea Grant’s Coastal State Seminar, May 1st

Rhode Island Sea Grant’s Coastal State Seminar

Wednesday, May 1, 2013
4-6 p.m.
University Club, University of Rhode Island Kingston Campus

RISG invites you to attend afternoon of hors d’oeuvres and discussion of the most recent research concerning the health and future of Rhode Island’s coastal communities and resources.

Presentations:

Why are some areas of Narragansett Bay healthier than others?

Christopher Kincaid, professor of oceanography at the University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography, will be discussing a new modeling technology that provides a more detailed picture on how water moves and mixes in the Bay, how pollution is transported, and why some areas suffer from poorer water quality conditions than others.

Following the Quahog

Jeffrey Mercer, Marine Biologist for R.I. Fish and Wildlife, will be presenting on quahog larval dispersal in Narragansett Bay, highlighting closed waters as possible sources of larvae for areas open to harvest.

ALL EVENTS ARE OPEN invitation but seating is limited so please RSVP to Meredith Haas at mmhaas@mail.uri.edu. For more information on the Coastal State Series and future events please visit seagrant.gso.uri.edu.

This series is supported by Rhode Island Sea Grant, the URI College of the Environment and Life Sciences, and the URI Coastal Institute.

Please note that this event is not a Shellfish Management Plan meeting.

SMP Use Maps Update

Creating Use Maps for the Rhode Island Shellfish Management Plan (SMP)

Purpose
To help address user-conflict concerns and at the request of stakeholders during the SMP public scoping sessions, we are working to develop a comprehensive and accessible set of current “use maps” for Narragansett Bay and coastal ponds in Rhode Island state waters.

Goals
The collected information will be used to: 1) Better our understanding of water-related uses; 2) Add to and enhance the existing resources and tools available to managers to inform decisions about water-related uses; 3) Help managers understand the myriad of uses in our coastal waters and how important our waters are to a diverse group of people; and 4) Provide necessary information on uses to inform the discussion about how best to minimize use conflicts – perceived, current and projected.

Data Use
The intention is to include existing information from other projects or efforts, as well as new information collected as part of the SMP.
Existing Data:  As a first step, we will examine data on the RIGIS website (http://www.edc.uri.edu/rigis/). RIGIS houses a public database containing a wealth of spatial data about Rhode Island. Information previously gathered, including charts from past use mapping exercises, will be reviewed and updated. In addition to these existing resources, we hope to collect additional information, including:

  • Current aquaculture lease locations
  • Commercial and recreational fishing areas for shellfish, finfish and lobster
  • Restoration sites and activities and shellfish habitat types
  • Environmental data including soil types, temperature and water depth
  • Popular areas for recreational activities such as sailing and kayaking
  • Areas of historic significance
  • Observations of species distributions
  • Infrastructure such as marinas, moorings docks and yacht clubs
  • Transit or navigation routes
  • Rhode Island Department of Environment data, including shellfish closure maps, management areas and spawner sanctuaries

SMP Phases and Public Involvement

Phase I: Water activities data collection to update maps.  Information is needed about shellfish areas that are critical to people’s businesses, recreation and livelihoods. While proprietary information is respected and not sought, any general information about key and valued use areas is welcome – we appreciate the data already provided by users since January 2013.

Phase II: Map digitization. The maps produced through this process will be made publicly available for review and comment, and data collection will continue.

 Our SMP Principles

The SMP is focused on ensuring a fair and transparent process for all participants:

  • Information providers shall be heard and comments shall be collected both during and after map digitization.
  • Information shall be treated as valued reflections of people’s interests and uses.
  • Information shall be evaluated subject to the SMP public review process.
  • Information shall be gathered to identify generally how users value certain activities, rather than on assigning monetary values or restricting uses.

To provide data for Use Maps, or to find out more about this project, please contact:

Azure Dee Cygler
SMP Project Lead
Contact information:
azure@crc.uri.edu
(401)874-6197

  If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please email the SMP Team at smp@etal.uri.edu.

 

Managing Shellfish Disease, RISG Coastal and Ocean News

Managing Shellfish Disease

Rhode Island oyster populations are currently affected by four types of diseases that are mostly bacterial but also viral, said Dr. Marta Gómez-Chiarri, a professor at the University of Rhode Island, in her presentation on shellfish disease management at the Coastal State Seminar on March 28.

 

Gómez-Chiarri has been looking at shellfish disease in Rhode Island since 1998 when Dermo, a harmful parasite responsible for massive oyster mortality, was first discovered in Narragansett Bay.

 

“I’m mostly focused on the eastern oyster because it is major aquaculture species and is most affected by diseases,” she said in her presentation that highlighted her most recent research on potential methods for managing disease in both larval and adult oysters…

Read more: Rhode Island Sea Grant Coastal and Ocean News

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