Public Meeting, June 29th: The State of Aquaculture in RI’s Salt Ponds

Thursday, June 29, 2017

5:00-7:00 pm

Kettle Pond Visitor’s Center
50 Bend Road
Charlestown, RI

The public is invited to attend an education program focused on the state of aquacultue in Rhode Island’s Salt Ponds.The program will feature experts who will provide different perspectives on this topic and will offer the community the opportunity to ask questions and share concerns about aquaculture.

The event is part of the Rhode Island Shellfish Initiative which recognizes the economic and cultural value of shellfish and is an effort of Governor Gina Raimondo and a host of partners — state agencies, industry, academic and community partners focused on leveraging collaborative and creative opportunities to sustainably manage local shellfish stock, promote economic growth and jobs, and celebrate Rhode Island’s unique food cultures.

Please contact Jennifer McCann at (401) 874-6127 or mccann@crc.uri.edu with questions or comments.
Thank you, and your attendance is appreciated and welcomed.
Please RSVP

Directions to Kettle Pond Visitor Center

Webinar—Understanding the 5% Rule for the Coastal Salt Ponds

WEBINAR: Wednesday, November 30, 2016 from 4:00-5:00PM

To join the meeting:
http://crc.adobeconnect.com/fivepercentrule/

“Understanding the 5% Rule for the Coastal Salt Ponds” – Participate in this free, interactive Webinar, from your computer at home! Learn from those who were involved in shaping the 5% Rule for aquaculture in Rhode Island’s coastal salt ponds. The rule states that no more than 5 percent of the salt pond area can be used for aquaculture. Hear the details about the science, policy, and decision-making that was involved to set the rule.
Presented by retired URI Professor David Bengston. Prof. Bengston was a member of the working group that convened in 2007 to determine the 5% Rule.

Prof. Bengston will explain the original process with the goal of giving webinar participants a clear understanding of why the rule exists. The intention is to allow an open forum of knowledge and experience sharing so as to be better informed about what the rule is and is not.

The recorded webinar and a summary document will be posted online at:
http://www.appliedshellfishfarming.org/aquaculture-education-for-the-public/

For more information, please contact Azure@crc.uri.edu

Aquaculture in Rhode Island: FREE Public Education Opportunities

Join the Coastal Resources Center & Rhode Island Sea Grant in a three-part public education experience on aquaculture in the Ocean State. Come and learn – from soup to nuts –what aquaculture is, looks like, and the policy and science. Join us for a detailed description of the history and science behind the 5% Rule for aquaculture in the salt ponds, learning from those who were there to shape the original policy. Share your ideas, concerns, and emerging opportunities you see in aquaculture throughout the events and these will be compiled and discussed in detail at a public forum in the summer. Events are stand-alone, so it is not required to attend all. All webinars will be made available online for those who wish to review and build individual understanding and fluency with aquaculture. All events are free and open to the public.

Please rsvp to Azure@crc.uri.edu for all below events

 

WEBINAR: Monday, October 24, 2016 from 5:30-6:30PM

“Aquaculture 101 for the Public” – Participate in this free, interactive Webinar, from your computer at home! Learn everything about aquaculture in Rhode Island – How many farms and acreage are in the state, a brief history and aquaculture’s beginnings, details about an aquaculture business and what it looks like on the farm, the different gear used, sound farm practices, ecological considerations, fun facts about shellfish, the policy around leases, the management process, the different agencies and groups involved, health and safety, and more. Learn also about some of the key science experiments underway in RI on aquaculture and hear future science needs and predications.

 

WEBINAR: Wednesday, November 30, 2016 from 4:00-5:00PM

“Understanding the 5% Rule for the Coastal Salt Ponds” – Participate in this free, interactive Webinar, from your computer at home! Learn from those who were involved in shaping the 5% Rule for aquaculture in Rhode Island’s coastal salt ponds. The rule states that no more than 5 percent of the salt pond area can be used for aquaculture. Hear the details about the science, policy, and decision-making that was involved to set the rule – Ask questions of those who were involved to gain a clear understanding of why the rule exists. The intention is to allow an open forum of knowledge and experience sharing so as to be better informed about what the rule is and is not.

 

PUBLIC MEETING: June, 2017 (TBD)

“Addressing Concerns & Opportunities for Aquaculture in RI: A Public Conversation” – Join us at the URI/GSO Narragansett Bay Campus to discuss any and all issues/concerns as well as existing and emerging opportunities around aquaculture in RI. Building from the October and November webinars, compiling your questions and concerns, we will identify the major issues as well as opportunities related to aquaculture and how best to approach these in the short & long term from a policy, community engagement, and science perspective. Policy-makers, researchers, and industry will be present to help inform and shape a knowledge-based discussion with an engaged public. All webinars will be archived and available online for those who wish to review content before the public meeting. All are welcome to attend and help shape a productive & informed conversation. Light refreshments will be served.

 

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Important: Narragansett Bay Shellfish Closures— 10/7/16

 

Samples collected by DEM and testing conducted by HEALTH today has confirmed that a bloom of the phytoplankton Pseudo-nitzschia spp is producing toxics. The toxin produced by this phytoplankton, domoic acid, is responsible for causing amnesiac shellfish poisoning (ASP).  The symptoms of ASP can include short and long term memory loss along with other serious health effects.
RIDEM is working with HEALTH to collect shellfish for analysis to determine if the toxins are present in shellfish meats at levels of concern. Given the high phytoplankton concentrations measured at several locations throughout the Bay DEM is taking this precautionary step of closing all portions of Narragansett Bay where elevated concentrations of this phytoplankton were found.
Effective sunrise tomorrow Friday October 7, 2016 and until further notice, shellfish harvesting is prohibited in waters of Narragansett Bay, Greenwich Bay, and all tributaries to those waters north of a line from a point just north of the Pettaquamscutt (Narrow) River at Cormorant Point to Beavertail Point in Jamestown to Brenton Point in Newport and south of a line from south of a line from the Old Tower at Nayatt Point to the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management range marker on a pole located on Conimicut Point.
At this time the conditional areas of Mt. Hope Bay and the Kickemuit River are scheduled to reopen at noon on Saturday October 8.
DEM maintains a 24-hour shellfishing hotline, providing updates on shellfish closure areas: 401-222-2900.

 

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