![]() ![]() We’ll be spawning oysters, shellfish, and perhaps seaweed as well, for our own farm as well as providing it to other shellfish farms. We are pooling resources here, with expertise and innovation from URI, federal investment, and local operations with the shared goal of producing world-class oysters that can be locally farmed and added to menus everywhere. “The Matunuck Shellfish Hatchery and Research Center will be a win for the state that puts us on the cutting edge of oyster research and helps ensure a sustainable, vibrant aquaculture industry. “On behalf of URI researchers, we are very excited about the research opportunities that this unique facility will provide, from developing lines of oysters resistant to disease and environmental stress for New England farmers, to figuring out ways to address production bottlenecks and testing and implementing novel methods to grow shellfish in a sustainable way,” said Marta Gomez-Chiarri, URI professor of Fisheries, Animal, and Veterinary Sciences. Reed also delivered another $1 million earmark for URI in FY22 to support ongoing aquaculture and seafood research. ![]() Aquaculture is good for the environment and our economy and it’s essential to the future of sustainable seafood, and the health of our local waters,” noted Senator Reed, a senior member of the Appropriations Committee, who secured $1.3 million to support the facility and provide the equipment these researchers need. Ultimately, it will help boost sales of Rhode Island aquaculture. It will use the latest in research and technology to help kick-start nature and allow local shellfish farmers to produce consistently high-quality oysters year-round. When it’s completed, this state-of-the-art oyster hatchery will boost bivalve research, increase production capacity, and ensure a reliable supply of oyster spat. “Oyster farming can have a net positive impact on Rhode Island’s economy and environment. The spat may then be studied and assessed for size and strength before being sold to growers and taken to oyster farms throughout Rhode Island and beyond. When the oyster larvae grow big enough, they will be moved to setting tanks where they attach to shells to become spat. The first two floors will have large high-tech spawning and culture tanks where the baby oysters are formed and filter-fed by water and algae that is grown in-house. ![]() When it is completed, the $2.4 million waterfront hatchery will have two main floors and a third-floor mezzanine area. And through new technologies and research, the Matunuck Shellfish Hatchery and Research Center will help ensure a safer consumer product, which will increase the per-unit value of Rhode Island-farmed shellfish crops. In addition to oysters, the hatchery hopes to cultivate alternative aquaculture species, such as bay scallops, sea urchin, or possibly different types of seaweeds. The hatchery will be a resource for the state’s shellfish farmers, serving as a hub for research and technology to help growers improve productivity and increase output. This new 4,118 square-foot facility, a partnership between URI and Matunuck Oyster Farm, will serve as a full-scale nursery/hatchery, growing and supplying oyster seed in Rhode Island and beyond. Senator Jack Reed today joined Perry Raso, a University of Rhode Island (URI) graduate who founded Matunuck Oyster Farm, Matunuck Oyster Bar, and Matunuck Vegetable Farm, and leading researchers from URI and members of the East Coast Shellfish Growers Association to officially break ground on the Matunuck Shellfish Hatchery and Research Center. And University of Rhode Island researchers will soon have a new state-of-the-art research and innovation center to study bivalves, aquaculture, and more, along with a ‘test kitchen’ right across the street.Īfter years of planning and local input from residents, U.S. Rhode Island shellfish farmers will soon have access to a healthier, more predictable supply of oyster spat to produce consistently high-quality oysters year-round. SOUTH KINGSTOWN, RI - Billions of tiny baby oysters will soon have a new high-tech nursery in Wakefield. ![]()
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