With plates of shucked oysters as centerpieces, Senator Jack Reed hosted a brief, roundtable discussion Monday at a South Kingstown restaurant on the eve of National Oyster Day, to celebrate the growth of the industry in Rhode Island.
"The cultivation, the aquaculturist, all of these people coming together and really creating jobs and creating a new wrinkle in our economy," Reed said of the gathering.
Then, about a dozen participants climbed aboard a boat to tour nearby Potter Pond, and the oyster farm maintained by Matunuck Oyster Bar owner Perry Raso. Reed donned hip waders and jumped overboard to join Raso for a brief inspection of the oysters, which cling to and grow inside wire mesh cages just beneath the water's surface.
"We're seeing just a huge surge in demand for this product," said Robert Rheault, Executive Director of the East Coast Shellfish Growers Association.
"It's a happy food, you know? Everybody smiles when you eat an oyster, so why not have a national oyster day," asked Rheault.
He estimated the direct impact on the Rhode Island economy of oyster growers at more than $4.2 million annually, but many times that when considering ancillary support services such as companies that sell boats and gear, and the many restaurants and markets that serve and sell oysters.
According to an annual report prepared by the Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council, the number of aquaculture farms in Rhode Island increased from 50 in 2012 to 52 in 2013, while the number of farm workers increased 21% from 105 to 127.
More than 176 offshore acres were under cultivation, and the CRMC said oysters were the number one aquaculture product in Rhode Island with nearly 6.4 million oysters sold for consumption.
“This is the fabric of Rhode Island,” said U.S. Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.) about Block Island. “I often tell people to come to the island. It’s a wonderful place to live and visit. I think it’s one of the loveliest places in the country.”
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