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Developing economically, environmentally, and socially sound aquaculture policies for Rhode IslandBy Eileen S. Naughton Rhode Island’s strength lies in its maritime-based industries. Historically, the farming of oysters has been one of the cornerstone sectors of Rhode Island’s diverse fisheries and seafood marketing industries, bringing in millions of dollars in commerce during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Largely because of industrial pollution and degradation of our estuarine habitats during the early and middle 20th century, this important pillar of the state’s economy fell into decline. And eventually, the importance of this early shellfish aquaculture industry began to fade from the collective memory of the state, save for a few visionaries like the late Luther Blount of Warren, who grew up with the family business of oyster farming and had a lifelong dream of restoring this environmentally sound economic opportunity for our state. In this time in which “environmental sustainability” and “socially responsible economic development” are political buzz phrases, aquaculture—and shellfish aquaculture in particular—is an industry that is well characterized by these descriptors. A healthy shellfish aquaculture industry is good for the economy, because like any other agricultural, fisheries, or natural resource–based industry, the economic multipliers are among the highest of all industries. Marine trade industries such as our state’s boat building and fishing gear supply industries as well as our seafood wholesale and transportation industries would be boosted considerably by a growing and robust aquaculture industry. Even our tourism industry can benefit from a strong local aquaculture industry, as our visitors are interested in eating locally produced seafood products to enhance the quality of their visit. It is absurd that we now import much of our seafood from halfway around the world. To those who know the value of local seafood, green mussels from New Zealand, as an example, are not only reminiscent of Dr. Seuss’ odd-colored food products, but their “carbon footprint” from their long-distance shipping is becoming more of a concern. My vision is for visitors to Rhode Island to really get to know the quality of our local seafood products, and that Rhode Island’s shellfish farms become tourist destinations in their own right, similar to the “wine-tasting tourism” that has greatly enhanced the economies of California’s Napa and Sonoma valleys. It is no secret that Rhode Island’s traditional capture fishery industries have been on the decline since the mid-1980s and that much of our domestic production has been replaced by relatively cheap imported seafood products from abroad. It is no secret that for almost two decades, imported seafood products have been the second-highest natural resource–based product (behind petroleum) contributing to our growing national trade deficits. This is no longer a minor curiosity, as these growing trade deficits are at least partly responsible for the weakening of the dollar abroad. Since 1994, it has been my goal to bring together the various stakeholders who could benefit from an aquaculture industry as well as contribute to its revitalization. To this end, I formulated legislation creating the Rhode Island Legislative Commission on Aquaculture, and after two years of broad-based public hearings, we created legislation that streamlined the process for aquaculture permitting by designating a lead agency and creating the office of the State Aquaculture Coordinator. In concert with the public outreach mission of the University of Rhode Island (URI) through the Cooperative Extension and Rhode Island Sea Grant programs, URI fisheries, animal and veterinary science professor Michael Rice and I initiated a series of annual conferences to highlight the scientific, economic, environmental, and social benefits that a growing aquaculture industry could bring to our state. Through this cooperative effort involving stakeholders from distinctly different walks of life, our aquaculture industry has grown on average at a rate of over 10 percent per year, making aquaculture one of the fastest growing industries in the state. In about a decade, the farmgate value of our shellfish aquaculture products has grown to exceed $1 million annually, and there has been commensurate growth in local aquaculture gear suppliers and aquaculture product marketing. It is my steadfast belief that Rhode Island has the extraordinary educational, research, transportation, and shipping re-sources as well as consumer outlets to support an even larger local aquaculture industry. As we invest heavily in improving the water quality in Narragansett Bay and our coastal salt ponds, increased numbers of shellfish associated with aquaculture farms can further support our efforts to restore depleted fisheries and enhance aquatic habitats. Continued multi-sector cooperation and application of research-based knowledge is the key to continued growth of our aquaculture industry and improved management of all our aquatic and coastal resources. I pledge my continued support to these efforts. —Eileen S. Naughton is a Rhode Island State Representative from Warwick. |
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