On Saturday, Nov. 10, community volunteers will transfer roughly one million adolescent shellfish to a restoration site in Portsmouth, culminating a joint effort between local community members and marine science researchers at Roger Williams University to reinvigorate Rhode Island’s dwindling oyster population.

Plagued by polluted waters, over-harvesting and natural disease, Rhode Island’s oyster population has been decimated over the past 50 years. Starting in 1996, aquaculture specialists at Roger Williams University asked coastal landowners to raise juvenile oysters in waters along the shores of Narragansett Bay and coastal ponds.  94 oyster gardeners signed up to raise baby shellfish, and now those adolescent oysters are ready for wider waters. Alongside Portsmouth, the oysters will also be planted at numerous other restoration sites in Narragansett Bay as well as in Pt. Judith, Ninigret, Quanochontaug, and Winapaug Ponds.

WHAT:           Oyster planting event to help revitalize the native shellfish population

WHO:             Roger Williams University marine scientists, students in partnership with RI-DEM and RI-CRMC

                        Local community members including volunteer oyster gardeners

WHEN:           Saturday, November 10, 2012 at 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

WHERE:         RWU Learning Platform, Bristol Campus

                        One Old Ferry Road, Bristol, RI 02809-2921