GoLocalProv News, February 15, 2011
U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) visited the award-winning Matunuck Oyster Bar yesterday to discuss the aquaculture industry of Rhode Island with local oyster farmers.
He visited the restaurant and neighboring oyster farm, owned by Perry Raso, where visitors can observe the entire process of raising oysters and preparing them to be sold and eaten.
Reed is a strong supporter of RI’s shell fishermen and sustainable aquatic business, and as a member of the Appropriations Committee he has worked hard over the years to provide resources to the expanding industry. In 2002 he funded the birth of the Rhode Island Aquaculture Initiative.
Later he gained $1.6 million for aquaculture research at Roger Williams University, and last year he obtained $500,000 for RWU’s Oyster Gardening for Restoration and Enhancement Program and $300,000 for genetic research on oysters and other shellfish, making RI a leading state in aquaculture.
“Sustainable aquaculture is good for the environment and good for our economy,” said Reed. “I am proud to have secured nearly $4 million in federal funding to help local oyster farmers restore the health of the Bay and estuaries as well as provide healthy, sustainable, and delicious oysters to consumers across the country. The industry continues to grow, and I will continue working to help the state’s aquaculture industry penetrate foreign markets.”
Partially due to the advanced aquaculture facilities at RWU and the University of Rhode Island, the bivalve market is becoming an important resource to Rhode Island. Along with the 38 aquaculture farms in the state, 3.6 million oysters were sold last year, and close to a million dollars of shellfish were raised for restoration efforts.
Source: GoLocalProv News
