For information or to register for this year’s Shellfish Transplant, visit RIDEM
Clean water is essential to the shellfishing industry, a multi-million dollar industry in Rhode Island. Historically, the two most northern shellfishing areas in the Bay, Areas A and B, were closed after rainfall (0.5 inches and 1.0 inch within a 24 hours, respectively). Due to the success of the CSO Tunnel, the closure regulations increased to higher rainfall amounts (≥0.8 inches and ≥1.5 inches of rain, respectively). The CSO tunnel was highlighted as the reason for the historic changes; “the changes are a result of water quality improvements associated with the completion of Phase I of the three-phase Narragansett Bay Commission combined sewer overflow program in 2008” (RIDEM Press Release, May 26th, 2011). On average, Area A is open an additional 65 days/year and Area B is open an additional 45 days/year to shellfishing. In 2021, for the first time in over 70 years, the RIDEM opened the upper Providence River to shellfishing in response to to improved water quality due to the NBC’s CSO program.
