For Release: October 5, 1999

Contact: Gail Mastrati 222-4700 ext. 2402

PROVIDENCE - The Department of Environmental Management's Division of Fish and Wildlife will hold a second briefing on its proposed Narragansett Bay Quahog Management Plan. The meeting will be held at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, October 12, at DEM Headquarters in the Foundry Building at 235 Promenade Street, Providence.

The first briefing, held in July, presented the status of the quahog resource and estimates of the Bay's stock.

This briefing is being held by DEM staff to provide the Rhode Island Marine Fisheries Council, and the public at large, with a range of proposed management measures for use in developing the quahog management plan. Suggested measures include adjustment of daily catch limits, increasing accessible stocks through transplanting and spawner sanctuaries, improving landings reporting, and future research needs.

Following the briefing, the proposed management measures will be discussed and refined by the Fisheries Council's shellfish subcommittee. The subcommittee will then submit its recommendations to the Council by way of a report, which will be made available for public comment prior to final action by the Council.

The quahog management project, sponsored by DEM's Narragansett Bay Project, has involved five years of shellfish surveys and stock assessments conducted throughout Narragansett Bay by DEM fisheries staff. The scientific information gathered through these field studies is now being used to guide the development of a management plan that will ensure the long-term health and viability of the quahog resources of Narragansett Bay and the renown quahog fishery that depends on them.