Out-of-staters vs. R.I. aquaculture
Oysters farmed in baskets on Prince Edward Island.
— Photo by Santryl
Adapted from Robert Whitcomb’s “Digital Diary,’’ in GoLocal24.com
New Rhode Island state rules mandate that people who want to expand or start new aquaculture farms (mostly shellfish) must identify property owners within 1,000 feet of their projects’ boundaries. The Coastal Resources Management Council will then notify those abutters about the proposal so that they have plenty of time to fight it.
Many, and in some places most, of the abutters will be wealthy out-of-state summer people who like to eat oysters, and can afford to buy lots of them, but many don’t want aquaculture near them, though it’s good for the area’s economy. They’ll get high-fee lawyers to try to block the farms.
