2014 Aquaculture report shows significant growth in all areas

April 30, 2015, WAKEFIELD –The aquaculture industry in Rhode Island continues to grow, and made steady progress in 2014, according to the Coastal Resources Management Council’s annual status report, “Aquaculture in Rhode Island.”

In 2014, the farm gate value (the value for the product paid to the farmer) of the state’s aquaculture products increased 24 percent, from $4.2 million in 2013 to more than $5 million ($5,044,917).

The number of farms increased from 52 to 55, and acres farmed grew by five, to a total of 206.2 acres farmed. Oysters remain the aquaculture product of choice in the state, with more than 7.5 million sold for consumption, up 1.1 million from the approximately 6 million reported last year. Oyster seed sales from Rhode Island aquaculturists was valued at $184,150 in 2014, up from $180,500 in 2013.

Three new farms were permitted in 2014, including one commercial viability; their harvests should be noted in the 2015 report. The number of aquaculture farm workers also increased 11.8 percent, from 127 to 142.

Statewide, there are 55 farms in operation, covering a total of 206.2 acres in all Rhode Island waters. Of that acreage, Narragansett Bay and Block Island represent 0.13 percent of the total, with 118.85 acres of aquaculture in 87,723 acres total. Currently, there exists 87.35 acres of aquaculture in the 3,963.70 acres in the South Coast ponds, 1.8 percent of the area of the four ponds. The full report is available at the CRMC’s web site, www.crmc.ri.gov, or under Aquaculture.