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9/18/2023 MEDIA ADVISORY: Special legislative commission will study reasons for reduced quahog catch, make recommendations
STATE HOUSE — The inaugural meeting of a special legislative commission to study the reduced catch of quahogs in Narragansett Bay will take place Tuesday, Sept. 19, at 2 p.m. in the Senate Lounge on the second floor of the State House.

Speaker of the House K. Joseph Shekarchi (D-Dist. 23, Warwick) has appointed Rep. Joseph J. Solomon Jr. (D-Dist. 22, Warwick) and Rep. David A. Bennett (D-Dist. 20, Warwick, Cranston) to serve on the commission, and Senate President Dominick J. Ruggerio (D-Dist. 4, North Providence, Providence) has appointed Sen. Alana DiMario (D-Dist. 36, North Kingstown, Narragansett, New Shoreham).

Rounding out the commission will be Narragansett Bay Keeper Michael Jarbeau, David Borkman of the Department of Environmental Management, Jeffrey Willis of the Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council, Dr. Marta Gomez-Chiarri of the University of Rhode Island, Dr. Hisham Abdelrahman of Roger Williams University, Walter Palm of the Narragansett Bay Commission, Michael McGiveney, president of the Rhode Island Shell Fisherman’s Association, and shell fishermen Jody King, Mark Johnson and Jim Boyd.

The commission will be tasked with making a comprehensive study and providing recommendations on the issues relating to the reduced catch of quahogs in Narragansett Bay. In making those determinations, the commission will delve into nitrogen depletion, hypoxic conditions — oxygen deficiency, changing aquatic life, climate change and other issues that may have an impact on quahogs. The panel will report back to the General Assembly by May 31, 2024.

The meeting will be televised live by Capitol Television, which can be seen by Cox Communications subscribers on channels 15 and 61 for high definition, on channel 15 by i3Broadband viewers, and channel 34 for Verizon subscribers. Livestreaming will be available at https://www.rilegislature.gov/CapTV/Pages/default.aspx.

For more information, contact:
Daniel Trafford, Publicist
State House Room 20
Providence, RI 02903
(401)222-1922