Project Information:
- Program: Southern New England Collaborative Research Initiative (SNECRI)
- Total Amount Awarded: $99,959
- Project Duration: September 1, 2011 - August 31, 2014
- Status: Completed
Project Team:
- Dale Leavitt, Associate Professor, Roger Williams University
- Mark Gibson, Dennis Erkan & Jeff Mercer - RI DEM Marine Fisheries
- Chris Kincaid & Dave Ullman - URI - GSO
- Michael McGiveney, RI Shellfisherman's Association
- Commercial Shellfishermen - Jeffrey Grant, DavidGhigliotty and Owen Kelly
- Scott Rutherford & Tim Scott, Roger Williams University
Project Summary:
Through this project, a team of commercial shellfishermen, managers from Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, and scientists from Roger Williams University and the University of Rhode Island worked together collaboratively to: 1) develop a cooperative assessment for quahog standing stock; and 2) evaluate the reproductive condition of the resource in the upper Narragansett Bay. Work centered on side-by-side quahog stock assessments comparing the efficacy of the RI DEM’s standard method (hydraulic dredge) with the commercial bullrake and diver quadrat sampling, and application of the Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS) Hydrodynamic Model for Narragansett Bay to simulate specific quahog larval release points (spawning areas) and predict sites of juvenile recruitment resulting from these releases. Project results are intended to inform shellfish management efforts