Research

Sustained and Equitable Access to Rhode Island’s Coast in a Changing Climate (SEA-C)

Principal Investigator (PI):
Nathan Vinhaterio, University of Rhode Island Coastal Institute

Co-PIs:
Elin Torell, University of Rhode Island Coastal Institute
Emi Uchida, URI Environmental and Natural Resource Economics
Jesse Reiblich, URI Marine Affairs
Leah Feldman, RI CRMC

Public shoreline access areas lie on the front lines of climate change – the active coastal zone – where storm surge flooding, sea level rise, and stormwater runoff dynamically combine. Researchers from the Coastal Institute will investigate how climate change may lead to the loss of public lands, identify the user groups most likely to be impacted, and establish the local actions needed to minimize climate impacts, especially for underserved communities.

The proposed project will form an interdisciplinary research team and partner with municipal leaders and other stakeholders in Rhode Island to investigate how climate change may lead to the loss of public lands, identify the user groups most likely to be impacted, and establish the local actions needed to minimize climate impacts, especially for underserved communities.

Through a series of pilot studies in Bristol County, RI the project team will (i) develop baseline geospatial data layers that can be used to identify where existing resources may be threatened or lost due to climate change, (ii) quantify human visitation to coastal access sites through (anonymized) cell location records, focus groups, and surveys, and (iii) perform legal research to prioritize areas for public access designation.

Results of the pilot studies will guide the development of a detailed action plan that identifies research needs and positions the SEA-C team to pursue future grant proposals.

More than Recreation: Reframing coastal fishing access in RI as a food security issue for marginalized ethnic and racialized communities

Principal Investigator (PI):
Melva Treviño-Peña, URI Marine Affairs

Co-PI(s):
Patrick Baur,  URI Fisheries, Animal, and Veterinary Sciences
Seray Ergene, URI College of Business
Amelia Moore, URI Marine Affairs
Marta Gomez-Chiarri, URI Aquaculture/Fisheries

In recognition of fishing at coastal access points as important within traditional food networks, researchers from the University of Rhode Island have partnered with the Center for Southeast Asians of Rhode Island and the Refugee Dream Center to better understand the usage and barriers for shore fishers from marginalized racial/ethnic groups.

The proposed project will characterize how marginalized ethnic and racialized (MER) communities seek to improve their food security and overall well-being by fishing public coastal spaces in Rhode Island.

By centering the experiences and knowledge of shore fishers from MER groups, researchers hope to gain a deeper understanding of coastal resource utilization, nutritional and cultural services provided by local coastal fisheries, and barriers to coastal access.

Moreover, this project will identify areas of disconnect between government agencies and MER groups, including fishing regulation and licensing, public health advisories, and community knowledge and perceptions of environmental quality and risks.

The results of this study will open new, equitable policy opportunities that strategically reduce barriers to coastal access for MER groups, recognize the contributions of locally-caught fish to local and regional food security, and foster local food system resilience by highlighting underutilized species and markets.