For Release: June 24, 1997

Contact: Larry Mouradjian 277-2632

Stephanie Powell 277-2771 ext. 4418

PROVIDENCE - The RI Department of Environmental Management today began an emergency transplant of oysters growing on the bay bottom of Goddard Memorial State Park beach. The oysters, whose razor-sharp shells cut at least 75 swimmers in the past three days, are being scooped up with a clam dredge and scallop dredge and transplanted to a DEM shellfish management area.

Staff from DEM's Division of Fish and Wildlife this afternoon in a drizzling rain are raking the oysters into two division boats for transplant. They are using a small aluminum skiff to comb the bottom close to the shore, and the larger TJ Wright to comb the deeper waters. The work will continue throughout the week, and the area will then be resurveyed by divers.

"The oyster population is significant," Larry Mouradjian, Chief of DEM's Division of Parks and Recreation, said. Extremely low tides due to the full moon added to the high numbers of swimmers who were cut last weekend, he added. "Swimmers were walking in bottom areas they normally wouldn't have encountered."

He said that swimmers will still be required to wear beach shoes in the water as a precaution.

"The safety issue is not limited to Goddard," said Edward Szymanski, DEM's Associate Director for Water Quality Management. DEM has received reports from swimmers in other areas who have seen an increase in the number of 'sharp objects' on the beach bottom, from Duck Cove in North Kingstown, to Oakland Beach in Warwick, to waters off Barrington.

"Swimmers should wear beach shoes when entering the water," Szymanski said. "All an oyster needs is a shell or a rock to attach to. Over the years the oyster population has been growing due to improvements in water quality. In fact, DEM recently reopened more than 275 acres in Greenwich Bay to shellfishing because of water quality improvement, and another 100 acres off of Barrington."

Although swimmers in many special tourist locations such as the world-famous Waikiki Beach in Honolulu are required to wear beach shoes in the water, Rhode Islanders are used to smooth beach bottoms.

Mouradjian said that after divers assess the situation at Goddard at the end of the week, the bottom will be groomed. But DEM officials said that because of improvements to the Bay's water quality, Rhode Islanders will have to remember they are sharing the bay with more and larger numbers of species who have made a comeback.